Ruth Messinger in Darfur

There is a traditional Hebrew song sung on Friday nights called “Eyshet Chayil,” “Woman of Valor.”  The song, taken from a section of The Book of Proverbs, speaks of a “woman of valor” whose “ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are Peace.  She is a Tree of Life to those who embrace her.” Ruth Messinger epitomizes this ideal – she has led a life defined by service to others: as a New York City Council Member from 1978 to 1989, Ruth became known for her advocacy on behalf of public schools and her efforts to achieve compromise between developers and neighborhood activists. Ruth has been CEO of AJWS since 1998, and in 2005 was recognized for her contributions to the global community by The Jewish Forward, which named her to the top of the “Forward 50,” a listing of America’s most influential Jews.

In honor of Ruth’s contributions, and in recognition of the fact that there are Jewish women in Durham and Chapel Hill who have made a significant impact on the local community, the Women’s Philanthropy Division will honor 2 local women with the “Woman of Valor/Spirit Award” at the November 1^st event, chaired by Sharon Halperin and Cathy Stamler.

Stamler described the event this way: “The MOSAIC event is about recognizing the wonderful work women do to repair the world – tikkun olam – putting the broken pieces of our world back together. Just as the broken pieces of glass and ceramic come together to make a beautiful mosaic, the important work of tikkun olam shows us the beauty and the magic that happens when one person reaches out to help another.”  

"Come celebrate with us as we honor three women who give selflessly and joyously. The MOSAIC Spirit Award honorees will make you proud of them and our community," said Sharon Halperin, who hopes the event will bring more attention to Women’s contributions both as volunteers and philanthropists.

Honoree Bios

Sharon Weber is originally from Massachusetts and moved to the area in 1985. Sharon received a diploma from Lynn Hospital School of Nursing in Massachussetts. Following graduation, she worked as a critical care nurse part time and pursued courses part time towards her B.S.N .which was completed in 1983. She was married to her husband David in 1980.

Chapel Hill became their home in 1985 when David started work at UNC hospitals in Infectious Diseases. She initially started volunteering at Beth El Synagogue for a few years while her three children were in Hebrew school. She worked at the Beth El gift shop buying and selling Judaica. Sharon started working at the Ronald McDonald House (RMH) the summer her youngest daughter, Rachel, started high school, and over the years took on multiple jobs including acting as a tour guide, assisting clients in registering and being discharged, and cooking. She also served on the Committees for RMH fundraising events, A Tasteful Affair, Girls Want to Have Fun, and the Butterfly Garden. Now that Sharon’s three children (Jessica, Elyssa and Rachel) have all moved onward, she plans to devote increased time to her volunteer activities.

Susan Springer, a former elementary school teacher, has been a resident of Chapel Hill since April 2000.  She is lovingly supported by her amazing family:  Matt, Madison (age 9) and April (age 7).  Susan began volunteer tutoring at the Durham Literacy Center in 2001.  With a small but passionately committed staff and over 100 volunteer tutors, the Durham Literacy Center works with over 500 adults, at risk-youth and immigrants each year to help empower lives through literacy.

Susan worked one-on-one with a DLC student (and friend) until 2004, when her student retired from her studies to work in her family business. Since then, Susan has proudly served on the board of the Durham Literacy Center, most recently as president for the past four years. She has tutored small-group math and reading classes at Threshold, a clubhouse for adults with mental illness, and has enjoyed chairing the Jewish Federation's Mitzvah Day Project for the past three years and serving on the Lerner School Board for the past six years.