Sharon Weiss-Greenberg
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Votes for Sharon Weiss-Greenberg: 8179
Tell us about your nominee. Why should he or she be recognized as a Jewish Community Hero?
Sharon has impacted the lives of thousands of young Jewish individuals over the years. As the Rosh Moshava (Head of Camp) at Camp Stone for the past two summers, Sharon has demonstrated true leadership and vision. She personified and continues to personify what it means to be a strong female Jewish leader and to inspire younger Jewish women to service and leadership in the Jewish community. Now, as Director of the Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus at Harvard University in collaboration with the Orthodox Union and Harvard Hillel, Sharon brings her warmth, dedication and vision to undergraduate and graduate students at Harvard. Sharon continues in her new role to light a path for future Orthodox Jewish women who yearn to serve the Jewish people.
What problem did your nominee identify in the community that needed to be solved? How has your nominee's efforts made a difference for others?
Sharon has been acutely aware throughout her life of the profound need for an expanded role for women in the Jewish community. She had observed for many years a sense of apathy and disconnect from otherwise energetic, passionate girls and women when it came to the Jewish community. In many ways, she has defined her task in life to lifting up the voices of Jewish women everywhere and enabling a new generation of female Jewish participation and leadership. In her role as Head of Camp of Camp Stone and as an educator at both Yeshiva University's High School for Girls and Yavneh Academy, she provided opportunities for girls to experience leadership and paved paths for them to serve the Jewish people. From expanding the inclusiveness of women during Orthodox services to helping young women see a female presence in the pages of Jewish history, she has without a question profoundly impacted the lives of thousands of Jewish young women. In addition to her work as Director of the Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus at Harvard University, she is pursuing a PhD in Education and Jewish Studies at New York University as a Wexner Davidson Scholar. Her research is focusing on the cultivation of female leadership in the Jewish summer camp setting; a place where many young people, including women, experience true leadership for the first time.
