As a young teen, Avery Sudow had a “lightbulb moment” about Judaism: the customs her family practiced in their hometown of Charleston matched the Jewish traditions outside of South Carolina. The prayer books and melodies were the same. She was part of something much more worldly.
“It sparked this desire in me to build this Jewish connection and my Jewish world much more broadly,” Sudow said.
Her first job after graduating from the University of Maryland was BBYO International, the very organization that initially helped her connect to her Jewish identity. Sudow is now the communications and development director at B’nai Israel Congregation in Rockville and a board member of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington.
Sudow first spoke with Washington Jewish Week last fall about her founding involvement with MoCo Mitzvah Moms. Starting in 2020, five local moms, including Sudow, wanted to help families who have a child receiving prolonged medical care. The organization achieved nonprofit status in August 2024.
She lives in Potomac with her husband, Noah, and two children, ages 8 and 5.
Tell me about your Jewish upbringing and background.
I’m from Charleston, South Carolina, and I grew up in a very strongly Conservative Jewish household. I remember having all the Jewish holidays with my grandparents and cousins; the synagogue was always part of our lives. It wasn’t until I joined BBYO in high school that I credit a lot of my current involvement in the Jewish community, where I started to learn and understand that being Jewish was being part of a global community.
What do you like about working at B’nai Israel?
B’nai Israel is a great place to work and a great place to be a member, and I’m lucky enough to do both. The staff is full of smart, driven people that are dedicated to serving our community. The synagogue is a thriving, bustling place that we love to come to. We’re going to be celebrating our 100th year, our centennial, beginning this summer, and it’s just a really exciting time to be part of the congregation, both professionally and as a member.
What is the most rewarding part of being one of the founders of MoCo Mitzvah Moms?
Being a part of creating MoCo Mitzvah Moms has been an honor and a privilege. To see a group of friends who have volunteered their time to build this service organization and what we’ve been able to create in terms of a community and people that are excited to come out to our events and participate all together is really inspiring. It’s really sort of the “brought to life” moment of what we teach our children: that you can have an idea; you can build something. It’s important to serve the world, to serve your community, to have a drive and a passion and that you can take it to new heights. [MMM] brought that to life for me.
How do you balance running a nonprofit organization with a full-time job?
I would say MoCo Mitzvah Moms is sort of a passion side project, and we fit in work on nights, on weekends and other spare time. Because there are five of us, we divide and conquer the responsibilities.
What are your upcoming goals for MMM?
Our priority has been to focus on [the] quality of events and figuring out how to scale our organization in a way that we can manage, and that is the best use of funds that people donate. We’re maximizing the amount that we need to get back to the hospital while still having nice events that people want to attend.
What do you want your kids to know about Judaism and giving back to the community?
One thing I say a lot is, “You’re part of a 5,000-year history, so eat the matzah; they’ve been doing it for 5,000 years. It’s not going to end with you.” I remind them a lot when we light the candles that this is not something I invented; this is what their ancestors have been doing for a long time, and they’re a part of that line. Making those connections has been really special. We went out of town for a couple different cousins’ bar mitzvahs at other synagogues, and we would take them to the Tot Shabbat programs at those synagogues for them to see that what’s being done isn’t just in their backyard or in their community, but they’re part of a more global [tradition].
Anything else?
I’m excited to continue being a part of the Maryland Jewish community. My husband and I chose this community because of all that it has to offer our children and our family: we’ve made friendships; we’ve built a professional life. Entering our 40s [soon], in this new decade, we really feel like there’s a lot on the horizon. We look forward to seeing what’s next.
Avery Budman is an amazing woman. She deserves every accolade she receives. Mazel Tov, Avery!! For all you do and all you will continue to do, you are a true role model for your beautiful family and community.