Dana Weiner, Senior Director of Family Education and Outreach, is a recipient of this year’s Pamela Waechterz Jewish Communal Professional Award.

The award, which was presented at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle’s Annual Meeting last week at the SJCC Mercer Island campus, recognizes Jewish community service professionals for extraordinary contributions to the Jewish community. Recipients also must embody many of Pamela Waechter’s qualities, including a deep personal and professional commitment to Jewish continuity, innovation, caring interactions, and leadership. The award was created in honor of Pamela Waechter, one of the victims of the 2007 Jewish Federation shooting.

Weiner, who joined the SJCC team 18 years ago has been steadfastly committed to the organization’s mission of fostering community, creating programs that connect young families to the Jewish community and to each other. Most notably, she launched the SJCC’s Parenting Center, which offers support programs to strengthen new families, including Listening Mothers and Reflective Parenting. Other family outreach programs Weiner has brought to the SJCC include Shalom Baby, which provides gift baskets to unaffiliated families to help them welcome their newborn and connect with the Jewish community, and Shabbat Unplugged, a gathering program for families to unwind, unplug from technology, and spend time together through storytelling, art projects and song sessions.

When asked what her biggest accomplishment is in her near 20-year tenure, Weiner says, “I am most proud of the fact that I have helped hundreds of families find meaningful ways to begin their Jewish journeys by deepening their Jewish values, identities, and connections. I love how the [SJCC] is a place where people make heart-to-heart connections with individuals and families that inspire their own sense of belonging and create a lifetime path of togetherness and community.”

“Dana is often the first Jewish professional someone connects with when looking for educational and family programming,” said SJCC CEO Judy Neuman. “Whether they are new to the community or a multi-generational family, Dana helps them navigate the beginning of their Jewish journeys and stays with them as they grow through the years. She is nurturing and firm, challenging and receptive, caring and committed; all qualities that embody Pamela Waechter.”