For Barbara Franklin, being connected and part of the Jewish community is important both here in Louisville and in Israel, which can be seen in her commitment to and participation in the Jewish community.
Franklin participated in a mission to Israel during which participants did volunteer work in the Western Galilee, Louisville’s Partnership with Israel region. “We visited schools and had projects to help the kids with,” she said. “We put together boxes of food for Chanukah for the poor. It was a wonderful experience.”
The Jewish Community of Louisville has been participating in the Jewish Agency’s Partnership program since its inception in 1997, fostering a number of collaborative projects in education, medicine, business, cultural arts and more, between Israel’s Western Galilee and a consortium of Midwestern U.S. communities.
Franklin is also a regular volunteer at Super Sunday, the JCL’s Annual Campaign telethon. “It’s a nice thing to do,” she observed. “They involve the young kids and do a really good job.”
For Franklin, Super Sunday really demonstrates that “we’re one community and we’re all in it together. It also helps me connect and really realize how Jews help one another.”
At Congregation Adath Jeshurun, Franklin is a Minyanaire and chair of the Bikur Holim Committee for Jewish Hospital and Baptist Hospital East. In addition, she teaches 8th grade in the Kehila program. In the past she has been a volunteer for National Council of Jewish Women’s Fashion Encore sale.
She’s also interested in Jewish Family & Career Services’ Oral History Project and is hoping to become a volunteer interviewer soon.
Professionally, Franklin is a special education resources teacher for the Jefferson County Public Schools and is currently working at Shelby Traditional Academy. She likes sharing her Jewish traditions with her students and uses Chanukah and the High Holidays as an educational opportunity.
She’s shared Jewish traditions with others in the community, too, by leading a model Seder for a church group on behalf of the JCL’s Community Relation Council.
Franklin came to Louisville as a child with her family in the 1960’s. She has a B.S. from the University of Louisville, and an M.A. in education, specializing in working with children with learning disabilities, from Bellarmine University.