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DECEMBER 28, 2023 - JANUARY 3, 2024
Vol. 27 No. 1
HERALD PERSON oF THE YEAR BertA Weinstein
A leader who brings Merrick together What’s INSIDE By Rachele Terranova
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When you’ve lived in Merrick for over 40 years, you’re bound to become involved in the community — whether by attending a civic association meeting or helping with a park cleanup. Berta Weinstein, 65, takes being a member of the community to new heights, having worn nearly every hat at the South Merrick Community Civic Association. A dedicated leader, she works every day to bring her community closer together. The Herald is proud to name her its 2023 Person of the Year. Over four decades ago, Weinstein, a Long Beach native, and her husband, Joseph, moved to their house in Mererta has rick, where they raised two daughters. been an Weinstein didn’t seek out a role in the community. In fact, she first came to integral part of the civic association because she needed the community. help herself. Seventeen years ago, when cell She’s sincerely antennas were proposed for installainterested in tion behind her home, she asked the many issues. association for help. Then President Joe Baker and other members of the board recommended that she start a petition. Joe Baker Eventually it amassed over 350 signaPast president, South tures, and she won. The antennas were Merrick Community not installed. Civic Association From then on, Weinstein wanted to give back to those who helped her, and to get involved. She attended meetings regularly, and eventually a position for secretary opened, so she joined the board. At one point, she held three positions at once — vice president, secretary and treasurer. “Berta has been an integral part of the community,” Baker said. “She’s sincerely interested in many issues. She was always there for me, whenever I asked her to do anything. She’s always been very responsible in anything she got involved in.” When a playground structure at Julian Lane Park in Merrick needed upgrading, Weinstein was on the team to get it done. She worked with fellow civic association board member Jodi TurkGoldberg for over a year to see the project through. “She’s a sweetheart, but she’s also tough, in a good way,” TurkGoldberg, a marketing and events specialist at Richner Communications, parent company of the Herald, said. “She’s a leader.” Most recently, in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by
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Hamas, Weinstein worked with Turk-Goldberg in support of the Jewish community. Over 170 community members attended an emergency meeting, including interfaith clergy. “It was important for me that everybody be there, because we’re a community — we have to stand together,” Weinstein said. “We can’t let differences tear us apart. We have to talk. We have to understand each other. We all come from the same place, just our religious beliefs are a little bit different.” When it comes to her efforts to fight antisemitism, it doesn’t stop there. Weinstein is a staunch believer in bringing the community together, no matter its disparate beliefs. When swastikas were found spray-painted on the Chatterton School playground this summer in Merrick, the civic association called an emergency meeting to address the incident. Weinstein’s impact goes beyond being a leader in the community, her close friends say. “She’s always been there for me personally,” Turk-Goldberg Continued on page 2 Jordan Vallone/Herald
Berta Weinstein, the Herald's Person of the Year, has been a member of the South Merrick Civic Association for 17 years, holding positions on the board including secretary, treasurer, vice president and, now, president.