Marilyn Simon Weinberg doesn’t play cards, golf or tennis. Instead, philanthropy — her passion of choice — fuels her. She and her husband, retired attorney Jay Weinberg, have left a transformational mark through their generosity in the Boca Raton community, where they have lived for 18 years.
“I’ve done it all my life. It makes me feel better,” says Marilyn of her giving spirit.
The Virginia Beach native realized the importance of giving back early in life, learning from her parents’ example. Living near the naval base in the Virginia Tidewater area, her family, who ran a naval supply store, invited sailors to their home for the holidays. Over time, the sailors became like extended family. “That’s the environment I was raised in,” she says in her soft Southern accent.
Marilyn served on numerous boards in Virginia, including as Vice President of The Strelitz Diabetes Foundation and as a member of various Jewish community organizations. In 2004, she and her late second husband, Marvin B. Simon, established what is now the Simon Family Jewish Community Center in Virginia Beach. The couple also created the Simon Family Foundation to provide a permanent endowment to benefit the Tidewater Jewish Foundation.
Since 1972, she has been a Lion of Judah, a cornerstone of the Jewish Federations of North America and an international Jewish women’s philanthropic organization that promotes social justice, aids the vulnerable and strengthens Jewish identity. Her lifelong dedication to giving back not only shaped her values but also connected her with others who shared her commitment — including Jay.
Both widowed, Marilyn and Jay married on Dec. 4, 2007, in Richmond, Virginia, becoming partners in life and philanthropy.
For Jay, philanthropic values were also ingrained from an early age. In a YouTube video highlighting distinguished Virginia attorneys, “Big Picture” host Jon Huddleston describes him as “not only an iconic lawyer but a consummate community servant.”
“It started as a child,” Jay recalls. “My parents inculcated that virtue in their three children. It was an obligation, not a choice. They set the example by being very active in civic affairs.”
Marilyn has also passed down her giving spirit to her daughter, Amy Markman Goldberg, from her first marriage. A former geriatric social worker and mother to Marilyn’s grandsons Bailey and Dillon, Markman Goldberg is “very much like me,” Marilyn says proudly. She continues the family tradition of philanthropy through charitable events in Virginia. Markman Goldberg is also the entrepreneur behind a health‑conscious soup business called Soup Love.
Photographs By Stephen Luttinger
Ongoing Support
The couple are longtime supporters of education and Florida Atlantic University (FAU). Their $1 million gift to the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters will support Holocaust, Jewish studies and human rights educational programs at the Kurt & Marilyn Wallach Holocaust and Jewish Studies Building. Groundbreaking for the building is expected this spring. The Weinbergs’ gift creates an endowment to support faculty, staff, students, equipment, programming and ongoing care of the building in perpetuity. To recognize their generosity, the faculty building’s lobby will be named the Marilyn and Jay Weinberg Grand Lobby.
“Marilyn and I support the Wallach Center because it is critically important that we combat the rapidly increasing incidents of antisemitism especially on our college and university campuses,” Jay said at the time of the donation.
Supporting the Holocaust and Jewish Studies Building means everything to the Weinbergs, Marilyn says. “I believe [the Wallach Center] can be the focal point of our entire Jewish community and non-Jewish community in South Florida. It opens up pathways to connect many organizations to be the centerpiece of our community.”
Continuing her family’s tradition of helping servicemen and women, Marilyn is deeply involved with Friends of the IDF (Israel Defense Forces), an organization especially close to her heart. After the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel, she took an active role in supporting and fundraising for the organization, helping to provide vests and other essential equipment for the soldiers.
Through Friends of the IDF (FIDF), she fills the role of Bubbe (Yiddish for “grandmother”) in partnership with Israel Heart2Heart, a Fort Lauderdale-based organization that helps IDF soldiers recovering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and war injuries. The program brings soldiers to South Florida to heal and recuperate. In recognition of her dedication, she was honored at the FIDF Luncheon this past December.
Her philanthropy has always been about more than just writing a check, she says. She takes a hands-on approach, particularly as Bubbe, offering comfort and support to young soldiers as a surrogate grandmother. She enjoys interactions with the soldiers through painting classes, musical programs, barbecues and other activities.
“I get to know the soldiers, talk to them, hug them. The inside connection has brought me much closer to the problems that are going on,” she says.
Honors For Community Service
For their unwavering support of numerous civic and charitable organizations, the Weinbergs have received many honors, both as a couple and individually.
Jay, a U.S. Army veteran, and his late wife, Sondra “Sunny” Weinberg, were recognized by the Virginia Holocaust Museum for their philanthropy. A former partner at Hirschler, Fleischer, Weinberg, Cox & Allen in Richmond, Virginia, Jay practiced law from 1959 until his retirement in 2009. In 2024, he was honored by the Virginia Law Foundation for his distinguished legal and community service. Locally, he served as a member of the FAU Foundation Board of Directors from 2013 to 2022 and received the President’s Distinguished Service Medallion in 2022.
In 2023, Marilyn was recognized by FAU’s Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters for her contributions to the community.
At the sold-out Boca West Children’s Foundation gala in January, featuring a performance by Wynonna Judd, the Weinbergs were honored with the Legacy of Love Award for their support of the foundation’s programs and outreach.
They have also been major supporters of Temple Beth El in Boca Raton, chairing its 50th-anniversary gala and raising funds for teen trips to Israel. Marilyn was honored with the temple’s Joseph Q. Kline Lifetime Achievement In Volunteerism Award.
Other beneficiaries of their generosity include Boca Raton Regional Hospital, the Boca Raton Downtown Rotary Club, Jewish Adoption and Family Care Options, Ruth & Norman Rales Jewish Family Services, American Friends of Tel Aviv University, Lynn University, the Marcus Foundation and the Boca International Jewish Film Festival.
In September 2024, the Weinbergs hosted “Never Again is Now” in Boca Raton, supporting Tel Aviv University’s law clinics and a network aiding Israeli citizens affected by the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks.
Marilyn Simon Weinberg & Jay Weinberg
Putting The Fun In Fundraising
Most days, Marilyn stays busy at her desk with her charitable endeavors, returning calls and handling correspondence. She believes that taking mental notes at events and following up with people are crucial aspects of fundraising.
A former personnel executive, she has a talent for matching people’s skills with the right philanthropic opportunities.
“If you don’t have the personality and don’t have a smile on your face, you cannot go into the world of philanthropy. You have to be outgoing.”
Marilyn enjoys socializing with friends over lunch at her favorite spots, the private dining spaces at Neiman Marcus or Capital Grille at Town Center at Boca Raton.
To keep in shape, Marilyn, who turned 88 on Feb. 12, does an “enormous amount of walking,” she says. Being in the spotlight at so many gala events, she has to be disciplined about her diet and adheres to a careful regimen for her skin. “I’ve done it since I was a teenager,” she says. “I keep myself fit and want to look good in my clothes.”
She doesn’t let her stature as a community leader restrain her fun-loving nature. Although many may see her as an angel donor, when it comes to her social side, there is little angelic about her, she admits. The vivacious dynamo loves to let loose, throwing big parties, including one every year on her birthday, with themes such as “Virginia is For Lovers,” “Hollywood” and “Paris.”
“People look forward to them,” she says.
This year, she hired professional dancers to dance with partygoers, and, being the kind and inclusive person she is, arranged for a dancer to help guests with canes and walkers get out on the dance floor, ensuring that everyone had a chance to join in the fun.
“I love to see people happy and dancing,” Marilyn says.