Jewish Community Foundation fundholders are turning their passions and visions into progress through their grants. These stories highlight the people, partnerships, and ideas that come together to activate these community investments.

A Legacy of Generosity in Action

Susan Chortek Weisman learned from her family that the enduring legacies are those set in motion and carried forward by others. That belief was shaped early on by her parents, Elaine and Peter Chortek, of blessed memory, who grew up with limited means yet lived lives rooted in generosity. Guided by their Jewish heritage and a deep sense of responsibility to those who would come after them, they understood that giving was not only about meeting present needs, but about laying foundations for the future.

Susan’s mother Elaine often spoke about how a gift should reach people you might never meet. She loved creating spaces where learning, celebration, and belonging could flourish. And she hoped that when children grew up watching generosity practiced with joy, they would one day turn around and do the same willingly, happily, and without being asked.

As a boy in the 1930s, Peter walked each week with coins in his pocket to repay a Jewish Free Loan his family had received. This reinforced for Peter that help could come without shame, that dignity could be preserved through trust, and that responsibility and compassion could coexist. The experience stayed with him for the rest of his life, shaping a deep belief in lifting people up while honoring their agency.

After Elaine and Peter’s lifetimes of generosity and innumerable lessons on providing for the community, Susan yearned for an answer: How to continue their legacies?

The solution came in the form of two creative commitments – endowment funds through the Jewish Community Foundation, which carry forward their values. The Elaine Chortek Jewish Women’s Foundation Endowment Fund will support the Jewish Women’s Foundation’s (JWF) annual Signature Event, ensuring that Elaine’s love of learning, gathering, and future-minded philanthropy would inspire and invest in Jewish women and girls year after year. The Peter Chortek Hebrew Free Loan of San Diego Endowment Fund will strengthen Hebrew Free Loan of San Diego (HFLSD), preserving Peter’s belief that interest-free loans can provide not only financial relief, but dignity and hope.

Through these endowments, Susan continues Elaine and Peter’s stories with long horizons. They allow her family’s values to ripple across generations, strengthening institutions, and shaping futures that are still unfolding.

Susan is a JWF member and serves on the board of HFSLD, and her son Sammy assists with HFLSD outreach, so community members know support is available when they need it most. The work continues to span generations, just as Elaine and Peter modeled.

Elaine and Peter’s legacies live on in remembrance and in action: among women collectively amplifying impact for Jewish women and girls, families receiving help with dignity, and all of us inspired by the Chorteks to uplift the community.