The modern world is a busy place. Society fuels on the run-way. Children are scheduled and rescheduled to meet their academic aspirations as well as their artistic interests and their social calendars. There are time lines to follow, deadlines to meet, and so we eat on the run and do our best to nourish our bodies (and our souls) in the moments between.

So it was with Arnie Richman on March 27th when we met in his Park Charles office. Between conference calls and our interview, as he finished off his salad with a gulp of bottled water, Arnie reminded himself to "slow down."

Arnie is a partner in the Shelter Group, a nationally respected real estate development and management company specializ-ing in multi-family and senior living communities. When "slowing down" from those responsibilities, he spends time with a vari-ety of civic activities, including the ICJS. In addition, he and his wife Alison have created the Richman Family Foundation, a supporting foundation of The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore, to help further the family's charitable objectives.

Generally speaking, the Foundation's annual giving focuses 40% on Jewish concerns and 60% on health, education, cul-ture, and human services. Arnie and Alison, with the support of the staff at the Associated, identify causes and organi-zations that match their interests. They are joined in their decision-making by their three grown daughters, Lauri, Kathy, and Cara, who take responsibility for targeting a portion of the Foundation's philanthropic activity.

"Our children have been part of the Foundation for the last few years. A couple of years ago, they proposed support for Hand in Hand, an organization in Israel that addresses the Jewish-Arab conflict in a unique way."

Hand in Hand is a program that brings Israeli and Palestinian children together to attend integrated, bilingual schools. As the children study each others' cultures and traditions, they engage in a dialogue that promotes understanding about how to live and work together peacefully. As a by-product, their grassroots educational effort intends to develop better under-standing between parents and communities.

"This kind of work takes time, involves multi-generational involvement, and promises something more than just momen-tary understanding," says Arnie. "The long-term perspective appeals to us."

The Richman family has developed an association with the ICJS for very similar reasons. Arnie has served as a trustee for seven years, so the family has had many opportunities to come in contact with our mission.

"The ICJS takes on big challenges with the potential for long-term positive impact. Understanding how the Institute addres-ses the complex challenges of religious pluralism isn't always easy and it takes time, but making the effort is important."

"Alison and I grew up in Northwest Baltimore as members of a more insulated Jewish community. It was a different world. It wasn't until we were older that we developed friendships and business partnerships with people from outside our tradition. Our kids have lived in a much more diverse environment. They studied with all kinds of people, traveled, and experienced an increasingly secular world that, to be honest, didn't necessar-ily strengthen their understanding of their own traditions."

"Religion plays such an important role in every aspect of our lives -- not just because of conflict and terrorism, but also because of the decisions we face every day. The best we can do is to give our children opportunities to stay close to their own traditions while they gain a perspective on other points of view."

Consequently, the Richman Family Foundation has been drawn to projects that focus on young people. In 2003, they under-wrote Bridging the Generations, a program that linked high school students with senior citizens for six weeks of study and discussion centered on what Jewish and Christian texts teach us about generational responsibilities. This year the Richman Family Foundation funded a partnership between the ICJS and the Associated that gathered young community leaders to-gether to study leadership in a religious context.

The Richman Family Foundation believes that every effort we make to reach out to young people is important. Undeniably, the clash of religions has been a negative influence in much of our history, but it can be the source of so much good.

"Spending our time helping build a world where good things come from our religious influences," says Arnie Richman, "that's something worth doing!"