Linda and Eric Newman say their son, Max, is the driving force behind their volunteer work and advocacy for people with disabilities. Max is the eldest of the couple’s two sons and he has level 2 autism.
“We just want to help to create quality activities and a quality life for Max and his peers,” Linda Newman told Philadelphia Jewish Exponent.
Both from Northeast Philadelphia, Linda and Eric Newman raised their two sons in South Jersey and, in 2020, moved to the shore after retirement. However, the couple has only become more committed to volunteering within the community.
The Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey “has done so much for us,” said Eric Newman.
“It’s our way to give back,” Linda Newman added. “They provided opportunity for Max, and this is our way to give back.”
Max, who attended a mix of public and private schools growing up, now works eight hours a week in food service at an assisted living facility. He gets help from an on-site job coach through the Federation’s Jewish Family and Children’s Service.
A grateful Eric Newman, who formerly taught in Blackwood, New Jersey, now volunteers with JFCS. Once a month, he visits Harmony Village CareOne at Cherry Hill, an assisted living community. There, he talks to the residents about the upcoming holidays or weekly Torah portions.
“I tell stories. They call me the storyteller, and sometimes I have lunch with them as well,” he said. “Even though a lot of them are in memory care, they seem to remember me every month.”
In addition to spending time at Harmony Village, Eric Newman volunteers at Weinberg Commons, an affordable housing community for older adults and adults with disabilities, which is supported by the Federation and where their eldest son lives.
“I want to bring more social activity to the Federation and to the residents that live there — there’s also seniors that live there as well,” he explained. “I host a party once a month for a ball game; we get together and watch it in the cafe.”
“He’s like the sporting-watch-party person,” added Linda Newman, who recently took on a part-time position with the Federation as business development coordinator.
Together, one of the couple’s longest-running volunteer positions has been with a basketball program they organized through the Katz JCC in Cherry Hill.
“Because of Max, 18 years ago we started a special needs basketball program that we still lead today,” said Linda Newman.
Some years, up to 50 players are enrolled in the program. This year, said Linda Newman, the program — which starts every year after the High Holidays in October and concludes at the end of May — has 40. “If you’re a coach or a volunteer or player, you’re expected to be there every Monday night for eight months,” added Eric Newman.
“Because of Max, we have met so many families. We’ve met so many children that are now young adults, young men and women that we work with today, that we worked with 15, 20 years ago,” Eric Newman said. “We’re all a large family, and that’s what inspires me to want to keep doing more of this, because this is my family.”
The couple raised their children in the Reform movement, attending Congregation M’kor Shalom before its merger with Temple Emanuel and subsequent formation of Congregation Kol Ami. However, after moving to the shore, the couple says they have formed relationships with many of the synagogues in South Jersey who provide special needs services, typically on a monthly basis.
“We’re so lucky to have these fabulous services where our families — regardless of someone’s ability to sit — nobody has to be quiet, if they need to walk around, they can at these services,” Linda Newman explained. “Everyone is included.”
While Newman’s lives have changed and grown because of their son, one thing has remained the same: the couple’s enthusiasm for building community.
“When we lived in Voorhees, we wanted to make sure that our home was open to anyone that wanted to celebrate the Jewish holidays, so sometimes we had as many as 60 people that we would cook for,” Linda Newman explained. “We would take the furniture out of our home and set up folding tables and chairs so that everyone who wanted to celebrate as part of a community had a place to go.”
Today, the couple still hosts Rosh Hashanah dinners and Passover seders, but instead of cooking, they take deli orders. Volunteers help serve and everyone attending pitches in.
“I think it’s inherent in Linda and I,” Eric Newman added. “We like to celebrate. We like to celebrate with people. We like to look out for people that don’t have a place to be. That’s just who we are.”
