Middle Class Is Charity's New Cause

Meyerhoff Will Put Money Into City Parks, Education

Rubenstein, 60, was born in Baltimore and graduated from Park School. She earned a degree from Emerson College in Boston and taught special education in New York City before returning to Baltimore in 1972 as a director of the Maryland Special Olympics. She raised a family and worked at WCBM-FM and at The Baltimore Sun. She and her husband, James, helped develop Owings Mills New Town and McDonogh Township, among other places. She has three children and three grandchildren.

Rubenstein, the oldest daughter in the family, said she works alongside her siblings. A sister, Lee M. Hendler, is president of the Harvey and Lyn Meyerhoff Fund, which supports the Associated, the Jewish charities umbrella group. Another sister, Jill M. Hieronimus, is president of the Joseph Meyerhoff Fund. Her brother, Joseph Meyerhoff II, is president of the Lyn P. Meyerhoff Fund, named for the siblings' mother.

The Meyerhoff family immigrated to the United States from Russia in 1907, "after years of suffering at the hands of the czarist regime," according to a history of the charity.

Joseph Meyerhoff, Rubenstein's grandfather, celebrated his Jewish heritage and donated his money to many Israeli charities, including those that fostered education and economic growth within Israel. He was a chairman of the United Jewish Appeal, a trustee of Tel Aviv University, and was instrumental in the establishment of a number of Israeli libraries and a technical college.

Rubenstein said she remains "deeply committed to Israel" and that the family funds direct nearly a third of their grants annually to Israel-based charities, including libraries and day-care centers.

And while she is planning a trip to Israel in August, she said of Baltimore, "I love this city. I want it to be better."