Put on your best heels for philanthropy

Jane Weitzman puts the ‘heel’ in ‘healing’

Do you have a pair of party shoes? Do you find that there aren’t enough chances to wear them? Well put them on and join the Jewish Alliance for an evening with Jane Weitzman, wife of shoe designer Stuart Weitzman, on May 27. Weitzman will speak about her new book, “Art and Sole,” which demonstrates the different designs that she has discovered and incorporated over the years.

Shoes are a major aspect of Weitzman’s life; she believes that shoes connect a mother to her daughter. In a recent interview, Weitzman remarked that, “I think that little girls love to dress up in their mother’s clothes and that her shoes are a part of this. All things considered, the bedtime stories and the reading that they lead to are, of course, more important. Beautifully illustrated children’s books are so important, because they are a child’s first introduction to art. It is still important for girls to have fun dressing up, though.”

In addition to designing shoes, Jane Weitzman was the executive vice president of Stuart Weitzman and the founding vice president of Stuart Weitzman retail. She spearheaded philanthropy for the company by generating funds to support breast and ovarian cancer research and awareness, after losing two friends and her mother to these diseases. Her efforts were brought to life through innovative charity events in the brand’s stores and on its website such as the Stuart Weitzman Celebrity Breast Cancer Auction. She serves on the executive committee and boards of Greenwich UJA, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and JTA. She is on the Trust Board of Boston Children’s Hospital and the boards of the Jewish Book Council and the Greenwich JCC. Jane and her husband Stuart have two daughters, Elizabeth and Rachael, and a granddaughter, Eva.

The Jewish Alliance welcomes Weitzman to the Rhode Island community for the first time to learn about her philanthropic endeavors as well as her involvement in her husband’s business. The event, co-chaired by Marisa Garber and Marcia Hirsch, will feature shoe-themed desserts and a chance to win a pair of Stuart Weitzman shoes from local retailer Mel and Me Ltd., as well as Weitzman’s book.

The book, “Art and Sole,” highlights 150 of the more than 1,000 shoes that Jane Weitzman has incorporated into her husband’s retail stores since the mid-1990s. Each shoe is accompanied by an introduction by Weitzman along with a descriptive caption.  The collection is then repeated in smaller images but accompanied by longer descriptions and biographies of each shoe’s artist. Copies of Weitzman’s book will be for sale at the event.

For more information about the event, or to RSVP, visit jewishallianceri.org or contact Danielle Germanowski at 401-421-4111, ext. 109.

HILLARY SCHULMAN is a Development Associate in Philanthropy for the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island.