Volunteer Spotlight on: Joyce Jandorf

Volunteer Docent Joyce Jandorf feels a community connection to the JMM. Her husband was a member of Baltimore Hebrew Congregation, his aunt was a founding member of the Jewish Historical Society of Maryland, and his first cousin is a fellow Docent.  As a lifelong member of the Orthodox community, Joyce had heard about Shomrei Mishmeres Ha-Kodesh from her parents. She recognizes many aspects of the Lloyd Street Synagogue from her own upbringing.  Plus, her father was a shochet who donated many personal items to the Museum – shochet knives, machinery parts from his beit-schita, his mohel kit, and a sukkah.

Joyce’s mother’s family has been in Baltimore since 1911, when her grandfather arrived.  The rest of the family joined him in 1922. They first lived on South Charles Street then moved to Pimlico Road where they had a popular grocery/deli called Schuchman’s. Her father’s great-grandmother came to Baltimore before the rest her family and she is buried in the B’nai Israel cemetery. While doing genealogical research at the Robert L. Weinberg Family History Center at the JMM, Joyce was able to identify additional family members. By training, Joyce is an artist. She earned a BFA from Maryland Institute College of Art and worked freelanced as a graphic artist. Today she is primarily a painter.

During the 2 years that Joyce has been volunteering at the Museum, she has contributed by sharing her knowledge of Jewish laws and customs, especially to those who have no background in Judaism.   She wishes that the JMM’s appeal would extend to the entire community. She knows the Museum has a lot to offer and believes that all Maryland Jews have some connection whether they realize it or not and that there is a lot for everyone to discover.

A blog post by Volunteer Coordinator Ilene Cohen. The first Monday(ish) of every month she will be highlighting one of our fantastic JMM volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering with the JMM, drop her an email at icohen@jewishmuseummd.org or call 410-732-6402 x217! You can also get more information about volunteering at the Museum here.