Masorti Olami

 
 
"I think that by giving to others you get back much more than you give," said Marilyn Wind, the founding president of Kol Shalom in Rockville.

That simple philosophy has resulted in "friends that I developed from the synagogue and not just in North America. I have friends all over the world. It just has enhanced my life in a way that has made it just so wonderful," said the Bethesda woman. Besides friendship, Wind's efforts also resulted in her being recognized by Masorti Olami, the World Council of Conservative

Synagogues, with the Sherut L'Am-Service to the Nation award in recognition of her contribution to Conservative Judaism in Maryland and around the world.

"She is the quintessential volunteer," noted Rabbi Jonathan Maltzman (pictured at the bottom of the page with Marilyn) of Kol Shalom. "She is involved in so many different Jewish organizations."

The award she received Dec. 11 at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York "is not just a trophy to give out. This is really something she earned," Maltzman said.
(Pictured are Marilyn (middle) with her daughter, Rebecca,  and husband, Gary)

"She is very low key, working behind the scenes," he noted. "She is always ready to help out. She is a really special person." But Wind merely views her work as a form of giving back. "I firmly believe that you need to give back to whatever community you are part of. It is something my parents did. They are my role model," she said.

Wind was a founding member of Kol Shalom back in October 2001. She has since held such roles as president, ritual committee chairperson, member of the board of trustees and her current responsibility as chair of the board of trustees.

"I've done what needs to be done," said the mother of two grown children. "Conservative Judaism is an integral part of my life. My synagogue community is my life," she said.

Therefore, her efforts have reached far beyond the synagogue and its more than 200 individual and household members. She is vice president for Youth and Education for the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism and sits on the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism's International Youth Commission.

She also serves on the executive committee of MERCAZ USA, the Zionist arm of the Conservative movement, and is active in the Women's League for Conservative Judaism, where she is chair for public policy and a board member.

As if that wasn't enough, Wind is one of five lay people on the Committee of Jewish Law and Standards.

Of all the groups she is involved with, Wind admits to a "very special interest in youth. They are our present and our future. I consider them very, very important," she said.

She recently attended United Synagogue Youth's international convention in Philadelphia in which close to 800 teenagers took part, she said.

"That was phenomenal," she said of watching the young people learn about their Jewish values. Wind was in Israel this summer as a delegate to MERCAZ when she first learned she would be receiving the award.

"I was speechless. I was shocked," she said, adding that she doesn't seek recognition for the many long hours she puts in.

"It is something that I just do. It's an integral part of my life."

Wind retired in July 2010 from the Consumer Products Safety Commission where she was deputy director of health science.

That organization is responsible for "the safety of basically everything you find in your household. There are 15,000 different things," from toys to lawn mowers, she said.

Summing up her 30 years there, she said "not many people get paid for doing tikkun olam. I was able to do my work and save people's lives."

Besides her love of Judaism, Wind enjoys "cooking and entertaining. When I have time, reading. I also love exercise and aerobic dancing."

Obviously, she acknowledged, "I am very busy."

 
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