Museum Namesake Jane Weitzman Among New Leaders

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (August 5, 2024) – The Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History (The Weitzman), the only museum in the nation dedicated exclusively to exploring and interpreting nearly four centuries of the American Jewish experience, announces new officers and members of its Board of Trustees. Mark Oster will serve as Co-Chair, current trustee Sherrie Savett as Board Secretary, and Museum namesake Jane Weitzman as a new trustee.

“The Weitzman is poised for its next era as the nation’s Jewish museum and a center for Jewish life and culture – with a potential Smithsonian integration on the horizon, a reimagining of our core exhibition, and myriad reasons to educate Americans about the Jewish people and antisemitism,” said Dr. Misha Galperin, the Weitzman’s President & CEO. “I’m thrilled that passionate lay leaders, like Jane Weitzman, who care deeply about this work are committing to us and will thoughtfully shepherd our institution into its next phase.”

Oster serves alongside current Co-Chair, Sharon Tobin Kestenbaum. The Museum also expressed its appreciation for Joe Zuritsky and Steve Cozen, who concluded their terms as Co-Chair and Vice Chair respectively, and were both elected as trustees for two-year terms. Zuritsky now also serves as Chair Emeritus. Cozen was the honoree at the Weitzman’s Only in America^Ⓡ Gala in June, which raised record support for the Museum’s work.

The trustees began their new roles on July 1, 2024.

Biographies

Mark Oster brings more than three decades of management consulting experience to his new Weitzman role. He served as the national managing partner for Grant Thornton’s Not-for-Profit and Higher Education practices. He has worked with many leading not-for-profit organizations and higher education institutions, including, colleges and universities, museum and cultural institutions, trade and professional associations, social and human services organizations, foundations, Jewish/Israeli organizations, and religious organizations.

He previously held the Secretary position on the Weitzman’s board and remains audit committee chair and a member of the governance committee. He is also on the Board of Trustees for the NYC Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. Mark holds an Information Systems degree  from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He lives in New Rochelle, New York with his wife Ellen. They have two grown daughters.

Jane Gershon Weitzman has extensive philanthropic and lay-leader service experience in the Jewish and women’s health nonprofit worlds.

She was the executive vice president of Stuart Weitzman and the first vice president of Stuart Weitzman Retail. She spearheaded philanthropy for the company by generating funds to support breast and ovarian cancer research and awareness.

She has been engaged philanthropically and in lay leader positions with numerous organizations. In addition to her new Trustee role with The Weitzman, Jane serves as Vice President of the board of the American Joint Distribution Committee, Member of the Greenwich Board of UJA Women’s Philanthropy, Trustee of the New York Historical Society, and Board Member of the Breast Cancer Alliance as well as the Jewish Book Council, where she previously served as president. She has previously served on the Trust Board of Boston’s Children’s Hospital, and the Board of 70 Faces Media.

For The Weitzman, she is currently a member of the Content Committee in addition to her position as Trustee. Jane is the wife of Stuart Weitzman, for whom the Museum was renamed in late 2021, in recognition of the Weitzman Family’s transformative gift. They reside in Greenwich, CT, and have two grown daughters.

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ABOUT THE WEITZMAN NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORY

Established in 1976, and situated on Philadelphia’s Independence Mall, the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History is the only museum in the nation dedicated exclusively to exploring and interpreting the American Jewish experience. The Weitzman presents educational programs and experiences that preserve, explore, and celebrate the history of Jews in America. It proudly stewards one of the largest collections of Jewish Americana in the nation. Standing as a joyful bulwark against antisemitism, bigotry, and hate, The Weitzman serves to connect Jews more closely to their heritage and to inspire in people of all backgrounds a greater appreciation for the diversity of the American Jewish experience and the freedoms to which Americans aspire. www.theweitzman.org

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