The Associated Keynote Co-Chairs Brad and Melissa Hecht

On November 20, TheAssociated will present its signature Keynote event, “After Pittsburgh: Pride,People & Power.” Held at Woodholme Country Club, the evening will feature aconversation with Bari Weiss, New York Times staff writer and editor and authorof How to Fight Anti-Semitism.

Baltimore natives Bradleyand Melissa Hecht are co-chairing the event with Morry and Lisa Zolet. We spoketo the Hechts about Keynote, Weiss and their involvement in the community.

Why did you want to co-chair Keynote this year?

Brad: Whenwe were approached about the opportunity to take this leadership role, wejumped. We’ve attended Keynote for the better part of the last decade. Wealways find Keynote to be a great opportunity to connect with the community andlearn from an interesting speaker on relevant topics.

Melissa:Keynote is definitely one of our favorite events of the year. I always feellike I could spend more time listening to the speakers. They always share suchinteresting perspectives about their topics.

Brad:That’s true. We often find ourselves talking about what was said at Keynotedays and weeks afterward.

Why Bari Weiss?

Brad: BariWeiss is a wonderful writer, and I’ve seen her speak on a number of televisionprograms. She really stands up for our community. She grew up down the streetfrom the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh and brings an interestingperspective to Antisemitism. I recently saw her, and she was speaking about howAntisemitism can be indicative of broader, societal issues than just the Jewishpeople. I’d love for people to walk away with some talking points on thisfront.

What would you like to ask her?

Brad: I’dlove to know what she reads in the media to stay informed. And, I’ve seen thather twitter often has polarizing comments. I wonder how she digests that – ofif she digests it.

Beyond Keynote, how does The Associated fit into yourlives?

Melissa:Several years ago, we attended an Oriole Park tour through IMPACT, the youngadult division of The Associated. While there, I started talking to anothermother who was also active within The Associated. She’s since become one of myclosest friends.

Brad: Iremember in middle school I was a Top Notch Teen (the TNT summer program at theJCC). It was a great experience that taught me about volunteer service. At thesame time, I had the opportunity to help kids form their Jewish identity. And,of course, I developed friendships and bonds that I still have to this day.

I’ve spent the vast majorityof my professional life with M&T Bank. M&T encourages all of us to beactively involved in supporting causes that are important to us. One of ourcore principles is that we believe that our company’s success is dependent ofthe success of the communities we serve. When I decided I wanted to give back to the community as a young professional, I became involved with The Associated’s YoungLeadership Council.

Youboth seem to have strong Jewish identities.

Melissa:I grew up attending Hebrew schoolat Temple Oheb Shalom and was bat mitzvahed there. We always celebrated theJewish holidays with my grandparents, who spoke Yiddish.

Although I wasn’t asJewishly involved when I moved out and went to college, when Brad and I had afamily, we circled back to our Jewish identities and knew that is how we wantedto raise our family.

Whoinfluenced you most?

Brad:This is an answer that has changedover time. Initially, my grandparents were the strongest influence on my Jewishidentity. All of the holidays were celebrated with them and, to this day,remain some of my best memories. Now, our kids are the biggest influence on myJewish identity.

Melissa:My late zayde was mybiggest influence. He grew up in a kosher household and always reminded me ofthe pride he took in being Jewish.

Givingback also seems to be part of that identity.

Brad:We are passionate about giving toThe Associated. It supports the Jewish and the broader community. It’s hard notto be passionate about that.

The fact that we have asystem we can invest in that makes investment decisions about what thecommunity needs is so important. It addresses needs from before birth – infact, Melissa and I attended a program before our first child was born – to theother end of the life cycle.

Areyou teaching your children about giving back like their parents do?

Brad:My children see me spending a lotof time supporting the community and I explain to them that the community doesa lot for us. It’s important to support it with the resources we have.

Melissa:I try to make sure their Jewishidentity is tied to caring for others, being good people and having empathy forpeople. I think we are succeeding for I feel like they have a lot of compassionfor others.

Youtwo seem to be so busy.

Melissa:Even our weekends are full.

Whatare you up to?

Melissa: When we’re not at one of our kids’ friend’s birthdayparties, we fill our weekends spending time with friends and family.

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