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JOHN HARDWICK
A
Career
Volunteer
In conversation with Jeannie Weiner,
JCRC/AJC’s Activist of the Year .
VIVIAN HENOCH SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
dvocate, activist, agent
of change, author … the
list of Jeannie Weiner’s
roles and accomplishments in her
decades of service to the commu-
nity is far too long to suffice as an
introduction.
Weiner will be honored with the
2017 Activist Award by the Jewish
Community Relations Council /
AJC on Tuesday, June 20, at Adat
Shalom Synagogue in Farmington
Hills. Featured speaker is Detroit
Mayor Mike Duggan.
Her son Joel Jackson paints a
more personal picture in a recent
post on his blog:
“My mom is special. I have
always been profoundly impressed
that she is forever active in the
community without sacrificing
an ounce of energy for her fam-
ily, whom she always prioritizes.
There were meetings and trips, but
nothing that ever got in the way
of the nurture and support of her
children. In fact, when possible, we
were included.
“While these experiences
opened my eyes to a number
of worldwide human rights cri-
ses, they were small things to
do toward the massive effort
needed to remind all people of
our inherent humanity, and
to dissuade entire communi-
ties from mistreating one another.
Toward that colossal effort,
by uniting with many benevolent
organizations, committees and
individuals, my mother was able
to do big things, move people and
make a real difference.”
Born in Santa Fe, N.M., Weiner
moved in 1971 to Detroit, where
she met and married Dr. Gershon
Weiner, her beloved late husband
of 37 years. While working as an
early childhood education teacher
in Southfield, Jeannie became
involved with a B’nai B’rith
Women’s professional group and
found herself drawn to the plight
of Jews in the former Soviet Union.
The issue ignited her activism and
showcased her leadership skills,
initiating her involvement with
the Jewish Community Council
(now Jewish Community Relations
Council/AJC), where she stepped
up to co-chair the Soviet Jewry
Committee.
A VOICE OF SOCIAL JUSTICE
ABOVE: Jeannie Weiner, longtime
community activist and volunteer, will
be honored by the JCRC/AJC.
As a leading local voice of
the Soviet Jewry movement,
Weiner served on the board
of the National Conference on
Soviet Jewry from 1984-89 and
as the Detroit co-chair of the
1987 Summit Mobilization to
Washington, D.C., bringing more
than 1,000 Detroiters to the
Capitol to stand up for religious
freedom for Soviet Jews.
Following the fall of the Iron
Curtain, Weiner focused her atten-
tion on the resettling of Russian
Jews who had emigrated to
Detroit. She served on the board of
Jewish Family Service from 1989-
2007.
Through her JCRC work,
Weiner’s advocacy for social jus-
tice has extended to community
interfaith outreach and Israel. In
her tenure as JCRC president, from
1991-94, she worked extensively
with Detroit’s diverse religious and
ethnic communities, leading mis-
sions to Israel with Michigan Gov.
Engler’s staff and congressional
delegations. An active member of
Jewish Federation’s Partnership
2000 (now Partnership2Gether),
she has been to Israel on 24 vis-
its, including trips to work with
Detroit’s sister region in the
Central Galilee.
An avid reader, writer and ever
a student of history, Weiner is cur-
rently vice president of the Jewish
Historical Society of Michigan,
where she serves as a docent.
Additionally, she is a member
of the Advisory Council of the
Jewish Federation’s Women’s
Philanthropy Department, a
board member of Hillel of Metro
Detroit and of the Jewish Women’s
Foundation, and a volunteer citi-
zen tutor through JFS.
She also is a past president of
the Michigan Jewish Conference
(2004-2007), the League of Jewish
Women’s Organizations (1988-
89) and the Tzedakah Chapter of
B’nai B’rith Women (now Jewish
Women International). She is
a former board member of the
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit and the Anti-Defamation
League.
IN HER WORDS
Reflecting her Santa Fe roots,
her travels to Israel and her
winter haven in Puerto Vallarta,
Weiner’s home in West Bloomfield
is filled with Southwestern and
Mexican art, Judaica and sunlight.
“Everything here has a story,” she
says. The following are excerpts
from her conversation with
myJewishDetroit.com.
Q: What does activism mean to
you?
As Jews, we are people of the
book, and we believe in education.
I believe becoming educated is the
first part of activism. But, if you
have this body of knowledge and
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June 8 • 2017
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