Robin Weiman, an active member of the Baltimore community, has been heavily involved for decades. She joined her family business in 1986, eventually taking over from her parents, and has done extensive volunteer work with organizations like Sinai Hospital and the Baltimore Jewish Council.
Weiman, a Guilford resident, was born and raised in Baltimore before attending college at the University of Maryland, graduating in 1977 with a degree in graphic design. She worked for nine years as a credit manager for Neiman Marcus before moving back to Baltimore and joining the family business, Drapery Contractors Inc., in 1986.
The business was started by Weiman’s grandparents back in Germany before they escaped the Nazi persecution and eventually moved to Baltimore.
“They came to the U.S. in Baltimore, where my great-uncle had already settled, and my grandmother said, ‘I’m ready to start the business over.’ And my grandfather said, ‘You don’t know how to do that. You can’t do that. You don’t know how it’s done here.’ So behind his back, my grandmother ran an ad in the Jewish Times and said, ‘I’ll make curtains with your fabric.’ And somebody answered the ad, and the rest is history,” Weiman said.
Weiman said that, after moving back to Baltimore, her mother encouraged her to get involved with local Jewish organizations outside of the business.
The daughter took that advice and became involved with Jewish Vocational Services, an agency affiliated with The Associated that helped support employment in the Jewish community. Weiman eventually became president of the JVS board.
“Ironically, when my grandparents settled in Baltimore, that agency [JVS] got my grandfather a job mowing lawns in Mount Washington,” Weiman said. “I knew the importance of helping people earn a living and be self-sufficient, and The Associated did that for my family. And so, I have always felt that I have a big debt to repay. I want The Associated to be there for families in need in Baltimore as they served my family.”
Weiman’s volunteering didn’t stop at JVS. She was brought into the board of directors at Sinai Hospital in 2008, where she was able to serve what she called “a very important hospital in Jewish life in Baltimore.”
Weiman has also long been involved with the Baltimore Jewish Council’s board of directors and is the current board president, a role she’s held since June 2024.
She said it’s an important time to be involved in these types of roles because of the divisiveness in the country and the rise of antisemitism around the world.
That mentality of wanting to get up and get involved in the community is something that drives Weiman’s desire to volunteer.
“As a citizen of the world, it’s our duty and our responsibility to be involved. You can’t sit back and talk about everything that’s wrong or that you see out there without doing something about it. I feel that it’s my responsibility to be engaged with my community, whether it’s the Jewish community or the larger community,” Weiman said.
Weiman said she credits the example her parents set for how she dedicates so much time to the various responsibilities in her life. She added that they showed her the importance of giving back to the community.
Weiman described the importance of the Baltimore community, as it contains so many diverse and interesting neighborhoods, great culture and “big city living but with a small community feel.”
Weiman also reflected on the impact of her Jewish identity on her life. A congregant at Baltimore Hebrew Congregation, Weiman said her identity has informed every area of her life since she was a small child. She explained that, coming from a family of immigrants who fled religious persecution in Europe, she wouldn’t be here today without her identity.
“I think most of the decisions that I form in my life are based on, without realizing it, my Jewish background, whether it’s from my cultural or religious background. I think that has formed and shaped who I am and the way I live my life,” Weiman said.
