Jeff Kaplan became a docent in 2010. His wife encouraged him to give it a shot. “I was semi-retired at the time,” says Kaplan. “I had teaching experience and I was a history buff. She thought that combination made this the right outlet for me. I’ve been hooked ever since.” Today Kaplan is the president of The Friends of the Maltz Museum. We talked to him about the benefits of volunteering and how the Friends support the Museum’s mission.
Talk a little bit about your career.
I came to Cleveland in the end of 1995 to work for Kaiser. Prior to that, I had been in hospital administration. But coming out of college, I actually taught in a psychiatric hospital for four years. But my career has primarily involved some sort of healthcare—whether that’s managing facilities or negotiating contracts.
Now you’re here permanently. What appealed to you about Cleveland?
I arrived here in winter when there was a ton of snow. I liked that. I like the change of seasons. I also liked the variety of opportunities Cleveland provided for culture and for food. I also quickly discovered that people are very nice here. The Jewish community is tremendous not only in its size, but in its capacity to encompass all aspects of, well, Jewishness.
What do you mean by that?
To me, my heritage is as important as my religion. If you go through the Cleveland Jewish community there are different congregations and an array of events that offer something for anyone—no matter where you fall on the spectrum of wanting to be involved with the faith, the history or the culture.
What part of the Maltz Museum’s mission speaks to you?
A museum of heritage, diversity and tolerance, the Maltz also tells what we refer to as the American story. It looks at Jews as one immigrant group, exploring how they came to the country all the way through their contributions to Cleveland and the modern world. This history has linkages to my Jewish past. While my family is not in Cleveland, the stories are very similar and that intrigued me. It’s what first drew me in. But then there are the special exhibitions we’re trained for—everything from the Nazi Olympics to The Dreyfus Affair to Pope John Paul II and his relationship to the Jewish people. For me, it’s always intriguing to do the research, learn the stories and then to convey my understanding of a topic to visitors.
What would you say to others considering donating their time to the Museum?
The volunteers here are really wonderful people and I guarantee you’ll meet new friends and develop new relationships. Also, the variety of opportunity is one of the great things about being involved with the Maltz Museum. You don’t have to work at the front desk. You don’t have to lead tours. There are really so many ways to become involved. And every volunteer job, whether it’s out front or behind-the-scenes, whether it’s big or small, is critical to keeping the Museum functioning.
What is The Friends of the Maltz Museum?
We are a group of members who also volunteer at the Museum. Our primary focus is fundraising. We do that in a variety of ways, but often it involves putting together events like The Three Cantors concert, Cleveland’s Funniest Rabbi or the Jewish Food and Culture Festival. The monies we raise are used primarily to support community and outreach efforts that the Museum couldn’t afford on its own. If an opportunity arises that the Museum isn’t able to take advantage of it, we can step in and help. We’ve funded interns and History Day events. We picked up a large portion of the tab for the Museum’s new phone system when the last one crashed.
The Friends of the Maltz Museum also plans programs, coordinates mailings and brings in groups for Shabbat dinners. And we run the Speaker’s Bureau, sharing our knowledge and the stories of Holocaust survivors with schools and community groups.
What is the benefit of being part of the Friends?
You’re making a very real contribution to the success of the Museum. I find that in working with the Friends I get to see tangible results. In many cases, gratification is pretty immediate. It may sound a bit cliché, but at the end of the day there are a lot of “warm fuzzies” for a volunteer. For example, I get to see the smile on a child’s face after a tour. But even on a longer term basis, as we budget and look further down the road, I think in some cases planning the journey is almost as enjoyable as reaching the destination. Working together as a group to bring something to life is almost as fun as the actual final event or outcome.
How can someone become involved ?
We regularly share information on our meetings and efforts with the more than 100 volunteers who regularly help out with Museum operations, but if you’re a Member that hasn’t volunteered and you want to become involved, contact Laura Steefel-Moore at 216.593.0587 to learn more and to find out how to attend a meeting.
