Susan Weinstock

“I’d moved to Cincinnati and I didn’t know any Jews. I was even alone for some of the Jewish holidays. I’d never been in that situation before, and I realized it was important for me to be with other Jews,” recalled Susan Weinstock, who now lives in Montville. “So I got a Jewish newspaper and found an article about a Young Leadership Division (YLD) event. I called up and said, 'I’m not a leader. Can I come anyway?' and they said ‘Yes.’”

Of course, Susan was totally wrong about not being a leader. Since she returned in 1996 to the MetroWest area, where she grew up, she has held a variety of leadership positions in the Jewish community. In 2001, she was honored with the Julius and Bessie Cohn Young Leadership award. Recently, she was one of the Pfizer Global Manufacturing recipients of the W. E. Upjohn Award for volunteer work.

This year, Susan is the Women’s Department Business and Professionals campaign chair, which also gives her a seat on the UJC Campaign Cabinet. She is secretary of JESPY House and serves on the boards of UJC and Jewish Vocational Service of MetroWest. In addition, she is on the UJC National Young Leadership Cabinet. She was the 2002 MetroWest YLD chair and chair of the Community Building Task Force on the MetroWest Unified Allocations Council.

Her initial connection with YLD was fulfilling socially, and as she learned more about the organized Jewish community, she wanted to do more. Besides MetroWest, she has been involved in federation work in three other communities: Cincinnati, Ohio; Fairfield County, Conn., and Southern New Jersey.

A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering, Susan works for Pfizer Inc., a major pharmaceutical company, where she is a senior manager working on the development of packaging for over-the-counter products.

When her crowded schedule of work and volunteer activities permits, Susan loves to read, cook, and travel. She also plays a mean game of Scrabble.

“I feel lucky that I found the federation world in Cincinnati,” Susan said. “I’ve been able to extend my volunteer work in different areas – fund raising, education, allocations, and service providers – and that keeps me interested. I feel fortunate to be in a community like MetroWest, which offers so many varied opportunities. I’ve been privileged to go on a number of local and overseas missions and see the people who benefit from our work. I feel that I’m doing something socially responsible and doing it with people I enjoy. I can’t think of a better way to spend my time and life.”