Michael Rudolph

Michael Rudolph has been a practicing attorney in New Jersey for 59 years. He concentrates on
estate planning for all generations, elder law planning and Medicaid applications.
His eclectic love of music (Chopin, Mozart, Grieg, Strauss, Rock ‘N Roll, opera and country/western)
was inspired by his parents. However, Christmas carols are his favorites.
Following his father’s footsteps, Michael has been active in community service for many years.
Some of the organizations on the long list he has served are: Passaic County Legal Aid Society (president for
5 years); Temple Beth Tikvah, Wayne, NJ (Board of Trustees 17 years); and Wayne Rotary Club (41 years,
president twice).
He has been married to Pina for 41+ years. She has three daughters. He has two sons. They have six
grandchildren ranging in age from 28 to 3 - - and two step- grandchildren.
On January 1, 2024, Michael established a new law firm. His son Jonathan, who has been a lawyer
for 32 years, is joining Michael part-time at first, adding another dimension to the practice and fulfilling
Michael’s years-long dream of practicing with his son.
In 1992, Michael was Rotary president for the first time. He established a program called “Christmas
in July” to bring joy to nursing home residents at a time of year when no one was thinking about them.
Santa, elves, Christmas carols, gifts - - it was a huge success and has continued for 32 years, interrupted only
by Covid. Michael saw that many of the residents were uncommunicative verbally but were tapping their
fingers to the music. For an hour he went from table to table and found that with only a little bit of coaxing,
he could get almost everyone to sing, Not only Christmas carols but songs from the 40’s and 50’s. His
personal favorites. Christmas in July continues to be his happiest day of the year.

Michael was Rotary president again in 2019-2020. Looking for another signature program, he
thought about a senior chorus or orchestra, never having heard of MMM. Covid put a damper on the Rotary
agenda because members could not meet in person. Michael set up Zoom meetings and spent much of his
time seeing to it that Rotarians never lost touch with each other. His idea for a new senior program fell by
the wayside, until January 2023, when Bonnie Sirower made a presentation to Wayne Rotary about Drum
Circles. Michael was hooked..
Michael’s appointment to the Global Initiative Committee reinforced his interest in MMM. He took
a facilitator training course in October 2023 along with his son Steven, who lives and works in Cambodia,
but was in New Jersey on business. Michael and Steven both became certified as facilitators. Michael hopes
that Steven, who plays the guitar and writes music, will, one day, establish a Drum Circle in Pnom Penh.
Michael says: “How lucky I am to have connections with both of my sons in activities that are so important
to me.”
Michael has enjoyed conducting drum circles at three diverse venues and is working on two more.
Little-by-little, he has been acquiring an arsenal of percussion instruments as well as making some himself
out of common household objects that would otherwise be discarded.