Lindsay Eliza Wiener was a vibrant, light-hearted, and deeply compassionate member of the Tulane community. A member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority who was passionate about marketing and Jewish Studies, Lindsay had a remarkable gift for bringing people together (especially over shared meals) to talk through difficult subjects, build understanding, and bridge differences.
In August 2022, just before the start of what would have been her sophomore year at Tulane, Lindsay passed away unexpectedly, alongside her sister Jillian, while on vacation with their family. She is remembered on campus in several lasting ways, including a cypress tree and in-ground plaque in the residential quad, a porch swing on Cudd Hall installed by her friends, and a set of commissioned candlesticks now kept at Hillel, all dedicated in 2025.
In her memory, the Lindsay Eliza Wiener Memorial Endowed Fund was established by the Tulane Board of Administrators in June 2023, built from gifts given by over 300 donors in Lindsay’s memory. The fund supports the Lindsay Eliza Wiener Memorial Scholars Program, administered by the Department of Jewish Studies, which carries forward Lindsay’s commitment to leadership, intercultural understanding, and combating antisemitism.
Each year, a Tulane student is selected as the Lindsay Eliza Wiener Memorial Scholar. The Scholar convenes a group of Jewish and non-Jewish students each semester (often over a shared meal) for substantive peer-to-peer dialogue on topics related to addressing antisemitism and building bridges across barriers of cultural difference. The Scholar manages a program budget for these gatherings and submits a year-end report reflecting on the year’s work and its connection to Lindsay’s memory.
Congratulations to Jordan Dakoff, our 2026–2027 Lindsay Eliza Wiener Memorial Scholar!
Jordan is a sophomore Physics Engineer major and Jewish Studies minor from Deerfield, IL, with a lifelong passion for Jewish history, culture, and community-building. From teaching in his synagogue’s Hebrew and Sunday school for four years to serving as a panelist bringing Jewish student voices into non-Jewish schools across Chicagoland, Jordan has long been dedicated to fostering understanding across communities. At Tulane, he founded Gesher (“bridge” in Hebrew), a Hillel-affiliated group creating space for Jewish LGBTQ+ students and allies to connect and build understanding.
Interested in participating in Jordan’s Wiener Scholar gatherings? Please reach out to Prof. Moskowitz: gmoskowitz@tulane.edu
Interested in applying to be the next Wiener Scholar? The call for applications will appear here in Spring 2027.
Past Wiener Scholars
2025–2026 — Nora Feinberg
Drawing on her own experience bridging Jewish and non-Jewish friendships at Tulane — and on gaps she noticed in her peers’ Holocaust education — Nora set out to open a space for learning and civil discourse as the Wiener Scholar. In the fall, she organized “Shared Light, Shared Stories” (Nov. 19, 2025), an intercultural dialogue dinner at Saba that walked participants through the steps of a Shabbat meal. In the spring, she led “Wherever You Go, I Will Go: An Intercultural Dialogue on Conversion” (May 1, 2026), a luncheon exploring what it means to become Jewish, followed by small-group discussion.
2024–2025 — Shaya Leibowitz and Abbey Baer
Following a campus screening of the film Unspoken, about navigating minority identities within Orthodox Judaism, Shaya and Abbey led a dinner conversation with the filmmaker, Jeremy Borison, and an affiliated social worker, Tali Kuhel, a Social Work Intern with JQY, a mental health agency that supports LGBTQ+ teens from Orthodox Jewish backgrounds. They also helped organize a brunch honoring Lindsay’s friends during what would have been her graduation year.
2023–2024 — Zoe Silverberg and Yasmeen Ohebsion
Both friends of Lindsay’s, Zoe and Yasmeen built programming with her memory specifically in mind, at a moment when the campus community was grappling with a difficult national climate for Jewish students. They hosted a pottery-painting evening where forty students decorated mugs, vases, and plates over dinner, many incorporating Lindsay’s name or symbols connected to her memory, and an outdoor gathering in Audubon Park (one of Lindsay’s favorite spots in New Orleans) featuring yoga, a shared meal, and rock-painting and bracelet-making in her honor.
