ANNAPOLIS, MD — Governor Wes Moore yesterday delivered the keynote address at the Elijah Cummings Youth Program in Israel’s 25th Anniversary Gala at the Museum of Industry in Baltimore. The celebration featured Maryland leaders and supporters including Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman, Congressman Kweisi Mfume, Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott, to celebrate the hundreds of alumni who have participated in the program over the years, building bridges between the Black and Jewish communities and cultivating youth leadership.
“Elijah Cummings didn’t just elevate our state. He elevated each of us, as individuals. He built this program to recognize the potential within all of our young people, and to help our young people recognize the humanity in others– and understand their role in defending the humanity of all,”
said Gov. Moore. “This organization doesn’t just train Marylanders how to lead, it trains them how to love. When you can see the humanity in others, you realize that their fight becomes our fight too. Few other lessons could be more important right now, especially as we face conflict at home and abroad.”
In 1998, the late U.S. Rep. Elijah E. Cummings joined leaders from Maryland’s Jewish community, including the
Baltimore Jewish Council, to form the Elijah Cummings Youth Program in Israel. The two-year program for high school juniors and seniors from Maryland’s 7th Congressional district builds bridges between the Black and Jewish communities. For 25 years, the program has helped develop leadership skills among more than 300 of Baltimore’s young people, who graduate from the program with an appreciation for their unique voices and an understanding of the power that lies in diversity.
Every year, the program selects 12-15 students as fellows to participate in leadership activities, community service, creative projects and discussions focused on Jewish and Black experiences, and the history of Israel. After their first year in the program, fellows spend a month during their summer break in Israel. The fellows—many of whom have never traveled beyond Baltimore—return with a new understanding and awareness of the connection between the Black and Jewish people around the world.
In the wake of conflict in Israel, the administration has reinforced its commitment keeping Marylanders of all faiths safe from hate crimes with Governor Moore and Lt. Governor Aruna Miller meeting with Muslim leaders and families at the
Islamic Society of Baltimore, and the lieutenant governor visiting the Beth El Congregation of Baltimore. Last month, the Moore-Miller administration
announced a $15.9 million grant for security at 118 Maryland nonprofits and faith-based organizations and the governor’s FY24 budget
allocated $5 million to protect Marylanders against hate crimes.
To learn more about the Elijah Cummings Youth Program in Israel, visit
https://www.ecyp.org/.