After more than three decades of lending his voice, heart, and pen, Paul Wieder--longtime Jewish Chicago Associate Editor and passionate member of the community--retired from JUF in October, leaving behind a history of storytelling, service, and communal connection.
Wieder--who first came through the doors of JUF in 1991 as an intern, and then joined JUF fulltime in 1994 as a Public Relations Assistant--devoted his career to telling the stories of the community. In 2012, he joined the staff of Jewish Chicago, serving as the magazine's Associate Editor until now.
Known around the office as a friendly and knowledgeable colleague, he says it's the people--the camaraderie, collaboration, and shared purpose--that he'll miss most. "I got to work with amazing people, who are very passionate about and excellent at what they do, and who decided to use their skills and their time to work for the community to enhance our Jewish life in Chicago," Wieder said. "Working with people who have the same energy and intention was very gratifying."
Jewish Chicago sat down with Wieder to discuss his career, his commitment to the Jewish community, and the stories he'll never forget.
Q: How did you get your start at JUF?
A: As a student studying communications at Northwestern University, I wanted to build my resume. I had missed the deadline to take a for-profit internship for credit, but non-profit internships were still available. So I got an interview at JUF for an internship, put on a suit, and came downtown. I was hired on the spot and worked as an intern for three months. It would turn out to be a good investment.
After graduation, I was living on a kibbutz in Israel when the late Zan Skolnik [then-JUF's Public Relations Director] called me. He had called my parents to track me down. He asked me if I was interested in coming back to work for JUF's PR department [fulltime].
Once I got the job, I had to quickly find an apartment in Chicago. I ended up signing a lease on a Friday, drove back to my parents' home in Cleveland, packed everything I owned into my dad's truck, and moved to Chicago on Sunday. On Monday morning, I went to work.
What are the most memorable stories you have covered?
One is a story about the nuclear submarine named after Navy Admiral Hyman Rickover, a Jewish man raised in Chicago. Considered the father of the nuclear submarine, he had had a nuclear submarine named after him. The story was about the commissioning of a new submarine that would also bear his name. I was really nervous about getting that one right.
Another interesting story was a profile on Leonard Rau, a local Jewish beekeeper. It taught me two things: One, whatever activity there is, there's probably a Jewish person doing it. And whatever you do, even if it's something like being a beekeeper, you can do a mitzvah with it. You can use it in a way that puts good into the world and that helps the Jewish community.
What will you miss most about working at JUF?
The people. I made good friends at JUF who have shared interests and values. Working at such a meaningful organization in one of the major Jewish communities in the world, not just in America, was the opportunity of a lifetime. Having this job felt like being at the top of the mountain.
What's next for you?
I'm looking forward to my next professional chapter and hope to continue to use my skills for the benefit of the community. I'm also looking forward to doing some more of my own writing and spending more time with my family. My son is a sophomore in high school, and he won't be home forever, so it'll be nice to be here for him.
