Clinicians find joy in pairing their personal values with their philanthropy

Last year, the new Louis and Phyllis Friedman building offered an opportunity to refresh and relocate the Kosher Hospitality Room to serve even more kosher-observant Jews. GBMC family medicine physician, Dr. Kevin Ferentz and Lisa Ferentz, LCSW, were first in line to sponsor the new kitchen, which is larger and more well equipped than its predecessor.

“When you’re a patient in a hospital, it’s easy to get kosher meals. I think every hospital offers kosher meals to people who are admitted. But for the family members who are visiting, sometimes for extended periods of time, it’s extremely hard to get kosher meals,” said Dr. Ferentz. “There are only so many things you can buy in the gift shop that are kosher, and you really cannot get anything in the cafeteria.

“In the hospital, if you are keeping kosher, you bring stuff from home. But if there is no refrigerator in the patient’s room, then the food’s not good. And, if you must stay overnight, and if you are here on the Sabbath, it’s really a problem."

Lisa added, “We knew, with the new building and the expansion and GBMC’s reputation, that increasingly observant Jews would be coming from Pikesville. More and more Orthodox and observant Jews want to deliver their babies at GBMC because it is the baby hospital.”

Dr. Ferentz continued, “And with our practice being in Owings Mills and serving the huge Jewish community in Pikesville, we just wanted to make sure that this service was able to continue and thrive.”

The Ferentzes contacted the Philanthropy Department early on to ask to sponsor and name the newly relocated Kosher Hospitality Room.

Lisa remembered, “Kevin came home and said, ‘I have an idea.’ I was so excited! Like what a perfect, beautiful thing to do!”

The Ferentzes believe tithing is not only an obligation, but also a privilege.

“The concept of tithing is in the Old Testament. As Jews, we are obligated to give 10% of what we make back to the community. It is a good thing,” she said. “We are supposed to do it, and it feels good to do it. And you are paid back so many more times over. It is very emotional and important to us.”

“If you think about what we’ve both chosen as our careers, it’s all about giving. It’s all about caretaking. You know, it’s about healing. It’s about who we are as people, fundamentally. And we are really grateful that the opportunity existed to be able to do it.”

The Ferentzes, who met in college in Albany, NY, are theater lovers. In fact, they met in a play they were both acting in. Kevin was Lisa’s leading man; 45 years later, he still is. They moved from Albany to Baltimore because of the University of Maryland—Kevin, to do his residency at the hospital, and Lisa, to do her master's degree in social work. Both have enjoyed incredible success in their careers.

Kevin was a fulltime faculty at the University of Maryland School of Medicine for 25 years, coming to GBMC almost 10 years ago. He is the Chair of the Department of Family Medicine at GBMC and lead physician at GBMC Health Partners Primary Care – Owings Mills. Lisa has been a psychotherapist in private practice for almost 40 years, specializing in working with survivors of trauma, abuse, and neglect. She also runs an institute to train mental health professionals in this work, and she is an author of three books.

Their strong relationship fuels their faith, their work, and their philanthropy.

Kevin said, "The goal for the Kosher Hospitality Room is that anybody who keeps Kosher can look here and say, ‘Oh goodness, I have a place where I can sit. I don’t have to worry about getting food. I can get a cup of coffee. I can bring food from home. My children can come. I can be here for the Sabbath. You know, I have a place to stay.’ It is very, very important. And we are privileged to be able to help make that possible."