Candace Anker-Roehl started to lead tours in 2010 after she retired from her teaching career. “I primarily taught kindergarten and first grade,” says Anker-Roehl. “I thought those skills—working with very young children—would be the ones that would prove most valuable to the Museum. As it turns out, I enjoy giving tours to visitors of all ages, especially adults.” Anker-Roehl says she’s found volunteering to be a “wonderful experience,” largely because of the eye-opening educational opportunities she’s helped to provide and the interesting people she’s met along the way. We asked her to share more about her time at the museum.
How did you first become involved with the Museum?
When I finished teaching the first thing I did was schedule a trip to Israel. I had never been there and that sort of travel was long overdue. My husband and I went traveled for three weeks and had a wonderful time. When we came back I started looking for volunteer opportunities. I saw ads in the Plain Dealer and Cleveland Jewish News. I tore them out and applied. I was immediately impressed with how friendly and professional everyone involved in the process was and I eventually went to docent training.
Why did you want to become a docent?
I knew I wanted to be a docent because when I was nine years old my parents took me on a trip to New York City. A docent took us around the United Nations. I was so impressed at the time that I filed it away as something I’d like to do. Later, when I was in Israel, I realized the kind of guide I had made all the difference in my experience—the way they related to us and engaged the people they were talking to. So I was pretty sure I wanted to be a docent, although there are lots of other volunteer opportunities here including working at the admissions desk or the Museum Store, to name a few. Being a docent meant I needed to go through docent training, which was extensive but spread out over a number of weeks.
What do you think you bring to your role?
It’s always nice to be able to engage the people you’re guiding, which is a skill I developed in teaching. But I also have a love of my heritage and an appreciation for Judaism.
A lot of visitors aren’t Jewish. What do you think they gain from a visit?
I think people come away with an understanding of how we are alike. From stories of immigration to artifacts that show, very often, how we share history, sacred texts and sacred places. I think they walk away with not only a better understanding of Judaism, but a better appreciation of their own heritage.
Also, learning about the Holocaust is not just historical. I find that students don’t always know or talk about things like hate crimes and genocide. Genocides are still happening all over the world today and contextualizing them can be an eye-opening experience. Holocaust education and remembrance has relevance to what’s going on in the world today.
Once you started giving tours, was there anything that surprised you?
The Maltz Museum is not just about Jewish culture, it’s about tolerance, acceptance and inclusion. That’s also a passion of mine. Growing up in the ‘60s, I understood the importance of the Civil Rights Movement. While I wasn’t quite old enough to participate in voter registration drives or demonstrations, I saw how much hate, violence and prejudice was present at that time. I understand now how critical education and connection are if we’re ever going to have a world that doesn’t discriminate but instead celebrates diversity.
Talk about a memorable tour experience.
There’s a woman who said visiting the Museum cost her a lot of money. I asked her, “Why is that? Admission is quite reasonable.” She said, “Every time I come here I see a work of art that I love.” This visitor had been looking at a Gianni Toso glass sculpture in The Temple-Tifereth Israel Gallery depicting a Seder celebration. “After I see something beautiful like this I go home, research the artist and end up buying something expensive.”
What do you get out of volunteering?
It has opened up my vistas in terms of getting to know new things and new people. Coming to the Museum is wonderful because when you walk in the door you’re in a comfortable place among friends. It is truly a community. These are people that have a sincere desire to give their time to a worthwhile organization.
Volunteering is a commitment, but the Museum is very accommodating to the needs of your life and your family. It’s also a wonderful inter-generational place to be. And, even to this day, I learn things every time I come here. There’s always a plaque on the wall or a person who comes in the door that I can learn from. For instance, recently I gave a tour to a Rabbi from Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati. When we looked at an Iraqi Torah scroll in the Temple Gallery he told me that it is displayed vertically because is it read that way, whereas an Ashkenazi Torah is typically displayed and read laying down on the bimah.
