Baltimore native Debra Weinberg has put countless hours into the Baltimore Jewish community and is now bringing her dedication and leadership skills to a new role as the incoming executive director of the Jewish Grandparents Network, a national organization committed to supporting the role of grandparents in Jewish life.
Weinberg brings extensive Jewish community experience and leadership to the role, having previously served as the chair of Na’aleh: The Hub for Leadership Learning, board chair of The Associated, international chair of the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute and as a board member of the Jewish Federations of North America. She also served for 10 years as executive director of ACHARAI: The Shoshana S. Cardin Jewish Leadership Institute.
Weinberg is coming into the role at an important time for the organization, as it’s looking to expand its reach to engage with more Jewish grandparents across the country.
“Debs brings a unique combination of deep communal knowledge, exceptional development skills and personal relationships with major Jewish leaders and funders that will lead JGN into our next era,” JGN co-president Ilene Vogelstein said in a press release. “She leads with people and purpose, blending cooperative leadership and inclusive decision making — perfect for JGN at this moment as we look to continue growing.”
Weinberg has been a board member of the JGN for over a year. She’s making this transition after getting into a car accident in June, which motivated her to find a new path.
“I walked out unscathed, and the next couple of mornings, I was waking up and saying, ‘I really feel like I need more of a purpose.’ And so [JGN] were looking for a new CEO. I said, ‘This is really a passion of mine. I love being a grandparent,’” Weinberg said. “I decided that I would take the helm to help lead the organization and broaden our brand name and broaden our support for making sure that grandparents are part of the greater plan in the Jewish continuity.”
Weinberg said that JGN provides webinars, workshops and programs to connect grandparents. The organization also offers courses with instruction on rebuilding relationships for grandparents who are estranged, finding ways to create family traditions to celebrate Jewish holidays and more.
Along with its programming, JGN uses social media to disseminate information to several thousand followers on Facebook.
“We have 17,000 members on the Facebook page that are not only getting tips but also [becoming part of] our community of people that are sharing their stories and stories of Jewish joy and also challenges of being a Jewish grandparent,” Weinberg said.
The role of Jewish grandparenting is especially important to Weinberg, as a dedicated savta to four grandchildren. She said she wants to help other families engage in a more purposeful Jewish life, emphasizing the importance that transmitting her Judaism and its values to her grandkids has in her own life.
“Jewish grandparents often are the center of Jewish holidays. We want to make sure that we provide resources and help people connect with each other to make sure that they are providing a real enriching environment for their families,” Weinberg said.
Weinberg is coming into her new role with a plan to expand JGN’s work. That starts with an online Grandparents’ Jewish Learning Fest in winter 2025. The event will bring together grandparents and aspiring grandparents from across the country and help them build community while hearing from experts.
Weinberg added that JGN also serves a second population: professionals who work with grandparents. She said they were also planning an event for Jewish communal professionals who work with grandparents to build community in the profession.
Weinberg said she’s prepared for the challenge of growing JGN.
“This is one of the reasons that I stepped up. I had a vision that built on what JGN was already doing, and I felt that I had the skills to actually lead us to dream bigger and to create these initiatives,” Weinberg said.
Vogelstein’s comments reflected that sentiment, explaining that the mission and scope of the JGN won’t change with the addition of Weinberg to the leadership team.
“Our core audiences remain grandparents and Jewish professionals,” Vogelstein said. “What’s changed is our ability, thanks to Debs and Richard [Bernstein] coming on board, to better serve those audiences and meet this moment with strategy, skills and an unwavering commitment to enriching the lives of more Jewish families.”
