I was first introduced to Elijah Cummings in 1990. He was serving in the Maryland legislature and I had recently arrived in Baltimore (from Houston), to become the Executive Director of the Baltimore Jewish Council (BJC). The then Congressman, Kweisei Mfume, provided the introduction. None of us would be aware of how many times our paths would cross over the next twenty years.

Among my duties in Houston was staffing the Mickey Leland Kibbutzim Program, which sent young people from Mickey’s Congressional District to Israel for six weeks each summer. Mickey had travelled to Israel a number of times and fell in love with its people and history. He believed that the Kibbutz social system provided many lessons that could prove beneficial to children going to school or living in his district ( A place very similar in economic and ethnic variables to Maryland’s Seventh District).

My initial impression of Elijah was not very telling. Compared to Kweisei, he was taciturn and somewhat distant. He was in a hurry to move on. The years passed, and when Kweisei became Director of the NAACP, Elijah ran for his seat and won.

Until this change in office, my hopes about creating something in Baltimore similar to the Leland Program, went unfulfilled. Congressmen Mfume and Cardin had tried something locally, but the community dynamics didn’t work and the effort ended after a few years. Now we had an opportunity to try again.

A discussion was held with Elijah and his eyes lit-up. He loved the idea. We discussed variations of the concept, and funders were sought. It quickly came together and became the Elijah Cummings Youth Program in Israel (ECYP). After a few years of relative success, the program was expanded to include a strong, locally-operated leadership training component. Eventually, ECYP,  now in existence for more than twenty years, succeeded beyond expectations, educating its graduates in some of the finest colleges and universities in the country.

The primary reason why the program worked as well as it did was Elijah. Most of all, he cared. Attending almost every potential participant interview, he always made sure that the interview committee viewed applicants in their best light. Following their summer experience, the Congressmen took care that program graduates secured post-college advice and, eventually, post-college education or quality employment opportunities.

Congressman Cummings was constantly educating himself about Jews in general, those residing in Baltimore and in Israel. I remember him once being astounded when he learned that Jews in a given community didn’t commonly know each other. Israeli society was a constant source of wonderment and questions. That the Israelis and their Arab neighbors were still in conflict after more than seventy years, was a tragedy in his eyes. Always, when he felt perturbed about people or events, you heard that familiar refrain: “We/they can do better than this.” He was usually right.

The Congressman was “done too soon.” His indefatigable belief in people and their need to do what was right, was his legacy. He may be gone, but he’s watching over us; his “oversight” has just moved from Congress to a higher, more special dimension.