Am Shalom member Dana Weiss lives by three rules: make roots, meet new people, and get involved where you live. A New Jersey native, Dana’s roots and reach have grown deep in the North Shore. In addition to opening Braeside Market with her husband, Michael, in Highland Park last year, Dana has served as PTO President, joined the District 112 Education Foundation, and is a member of the Jewish United Fund’s Young Women’s Board.
Her desire to be not only part of a community but to really make an impact extends to Am Shalom. Members since 2022, Dana joined the Social Action Committee, where she learned about Am Shalom’s ongoing program in support of Connections for the Homeless – and that it was in need of new leadership.
“As Jews it’s important that we help other communities outside of our own. It’s important to show we help everyone. What’s great about Connections is that it brings awareness that there is a homeless problem in the community overall.”
Every week, Am Shalom volunteers purchase supplies for brown bag lunches, pack up the food, and deliver it to Connections for the Homeless in Evanston, where it’s made available to shelter residents and unhoused individuals. As the project coordinator, Dana manages a growing list of volunteers and ensures Am Shalom’s commitment to Connections for the Homeless is fulfilled every Friday.
“It’s a very easy ask to make these lunches. Volunteers can do it at home, on their own schedule, pop in for a mitzvah project. The best way to connect with somebody is through hearts but also through their stomachs – as Jews we like to feed people.”
Dana’s “other” role – when she’s not busy volunteering her time in the community – is Mom to twins Dylan and Jake, 7th graders who will become b’nai mitzvah in October, and daughter Sydney (9). This year the Weiss family welcomed another member into their household – Eden, an Israeli high school graduate serving a gap year as a cultural ambassador in the Chicago area through the ShinShinim program. They’re looking forward to a spring break trip to Israel, where they’ll visit family members and meet Eden’s family.
“This year has been very meaningful, especially because our boys are having their bar mitzvah. They really understand what it means to be Jewish, in the diaspora, and that they’re part of a larger community of people.”
Dana and the Connections for the Homeless lunch packing program are welcoming new volunteers. This is a project that can be done (mostly) from home, and it’s made even more fun when done with family and friends. Sign up for a Friday shift here, or reach out to Dana with any questions at danajweiss@gmail.com.
