Jill Weinberg
A career serving the Jewish Federation brought Jill Weinberg to her life’s work as the first director of the Midwest Regional Office of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. Weinberg’s mother alerted her to an early internship with the Federation, a turning point for Weinberg, who hadn’t known anyone could have a career in Jewish communal service. After earning an MSW from Yeshiva University, Weinberg spent eleven years with the Federation as assistant campaign director of the Continuum Program, director of Missions, and coordinator for Dialogues in Jewish Life. She then became the first director of the Midwest Regional Office of the Holocaust Memorial Museum, raising $70 million for the museum, serving as liaison to local Holocaust survivors, and overseeing traveling exhibits and events.
Jill discusses her experience growing up while her father worked with the Israeli Friendship Caravan. She details working at a Jewish communal service summer internship program and how that was a turning point in her life that made her realize a career in Jewish communal service was possible. Jill recalls staying in Israel in the summers of '71 and '73, the first summer at a kibbutz, doing agricultural work, and the second summer helping out during the '73 war. Jill remembers working at the Jewish Federation for 11 years, particularly the job she had as a Missions Director, where she ran all of the trips to Israel. Jill discusses her volunteer work experience and living with an Indigenous family in Ponca City, Oklahoma, where she helped young people reconnect to their indigenous heritage while connecting with her Jewish heritage. Jill earned her master's degree from Yeshiva University in social work and Jewish community service. She describes how she continued her Jewish education by participating in the Wexner Leadership Training Program. She mentions her experience working in the Dialogues in Jewish Life program at the Jewish Federation, an educational program for Jewish adults. Finally, Jill details her experience working for the Holocaust Museum for 16 years, including how she raised funds for the museum and got people invested in the museum.
