Meryl Kirshner Ainsman
Executive Director and Trustee, Philip Chosky Foundation
2021, 2022, Current
Meryl Kirshner Ainsman is the business manager of the law firm of Ainsman Levine, LLC, and the Executive Director and Trustee of the Philip Chosky Foundation. As a lifelong resident of Pittsburgh, she has dedicated much of her adult life volunteering in the Jewish community both in Pittsburgh and in Israel.
Meryl sat on the board of directors of the Pittsburgh JCC for many years. While at the JCC, she chaired numerous committees, culminating in 2011 with a three-year term as their Board Chair. She also served on the national board of the Jewish Community Centers Association.
Meryl’s involvement with the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh is extensive, going back over 30 years, serving in several leadership roles. Meryl is currently beginning her third and final year as the Board Chair of the Pittsburgh Federation. She also serves on the Board of Directors of Jewish Federations of North America and their Israel and Overseas and Endowment Committees.
Despite this extensive communal experience, the massacre of October 27, 2018 at the Tree of Life Synagogue presented a challenge unlike any other. The Federation was “on the ground” from the earliest moments after the shooting, and Meryl along with the Federation’s CEO Jeff Finkelstein helped to steer the community during its darkest days.
The effort to eradicate hate requires the active participation of every component of our society, to include governments, the private sector, communities of faith and indeed every aspect of civil society. There is no more urgent task in front of us. The organizers of the Eradicate Hate Global Summit are doing the United States and the world an enormous service by tackling hatred and extremism with a focus on honest dialogue and conversation, genuine learning and practical solutions. This will not happen overnight, but the Pittsburgh community’s leadership in this effort is genuinely inspiring and motivating.
