Pictured above with Ruth from left to right: Mindy Cohen, Sue Ramey, Fran Owen, and Debbie Ash.
When Ruth Nomberg first joined the Levite Jewish Community Center as the Fitness Desk receptionist, she knew only a few people in Birmingham. Nearly 30 years later, after serving as Membership Director and continuing to work at The J today, she has built countless relationships and collected stories that reflect what makes The J so special.
“The Levite Jewish Community Center has given me the opportunity to meet and become friends with a diverse population, and staff, I otherwise would not have met,” Ruth recalls.
Some of her favorite memories are small moments that made a big difference. She remembers sewing a button onto a businessman’s shirt before he headed to work, keeping a sewing kit right at the front desk. She also taught NEMJDS students how to read an analog clock while they waited in the Fitness Lobby for their parents to pick them up. And when a member needed someone by her side, Ruth went with her to the emergency room and stayed until her daughter arrived.
Other memories reflect The J’s impact far beyond its own walls. Ruth remembers the “virtual hugs” she felt when the greater Birmingham community embraced and supported The J following outside threats. She also recalls community food and diaper drives, countless Jewish Food Festivals and Montclair Runs, and opening the gym with the American Red Cross in 2015 to shelter more than 100 residents displaced by a Southside apartment building fire.
Among the moments closest to her heart was helping a couple secure a joint membership after they had been denied one elsewhere.
From everyday acts of kindness to moments of community-wide support, Ruth’s stories remind us that The J is more than a place to work out. It’s a place to find connection, compassion, and belonging—and she has helped make it that way for nearly three decades.
Visit with Ruth this Sunday between 11AM and 2PM at our free 120th anniversary event.