Supporting solutions that come from science
By Tamar Morad
Judy Garb Weiss began to advocate for environmental protection as a young adult in Boston. Years later, after emigrating with her family to Australia and working for Greenpeace Australia as its marketing director, she recalls, “We used to say, ‘It’s 11 minutes to midnight.’ But today, I would say ‘It’s a quarter past midnight.’ We’re still here, but the degradation of the planet is well underway.”
A visionary donation by Judy and her husband Sam to the Weizmann Institute of Science’s new Institute for Environmental Sustainability (IES) comes at an important and timely moment. Their gift will fund studies across all seven of the flagship project’s research centers, from food security to sustainable materials, climate research, biodiversity and ecosystems, renewable energy, environment and health, and marine research.
“Given the urgency to find solutions in the field, having partners like the Weisses who are personally deeply committed is inspiring. Their very generous contribution will give our scientists the freedom to pursue innovative ideas and critical research avenues, generating important new knowledge that will translate into solutions,” says Prof. Ron Milo, Director of the IES and a member of the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences.
In recognition of their generosity, Judy and Sam were inducted into the prestigious President’s Circle, an honor given to Weizmann Institute supporters who have surpassed a significant giving milestone. The induction ceremony took place in Chicago at the Institute’s Global Gathering in May 2025. Sam recently stepped into the role of Chair of Weizmann Australia, replacing Stephen Chipkin.
“Judy’s initiative to help create a Weizmann community in Australia, and now the Weiss family’s major gift to environmental research—which will help ensure a more sustainable future for the planet—reflect a special kind of mindset focused on investing in a better future and proactively advancing humanity,” says Prof. Alon Chen, Weizmann Institute President. “It energizes me to have people like Judy, Sam, Schuyler, and Bryony in our global circle.”
In the timespan between Judy’s days of environmental activism and this milestone of generous giving lies a special story, reflecting lives lived with a commitment not only to the environment, but to family, community, education, Israel, and their Jewish heritage.
“We have lost precious time to address environmental problems and I really do think the solutions will come from science,” says Judy. “Stemming the tide of catastrophe requires a concerted effort across all scientific disciplines. The Weizmann Institute’s hallmark integrated research structure—a flagship project with interactive parts—will provide powerful interdisciplinary synergy. For us, finding environmental solutions is not solely about benefitting humanity but rather about saving all living things. It personally gives me great joy that our family now has the means to contribute to Weizmann to advance this goal.”
Adds her son, Schuyler, “The destruction is universal—it’s on every continent, and indiscriminate. It affects you whether you are an owner of a multi-million-dollar home in Pacific Palisades, California, or living in a trailer park when a hurricane hits. I think of the gift to Weizmann as a family project, which also makes sense because the environment is a multi-generational problem. In my generation there is greater awareness of climate change and what it has unleashed on the world than perhaps the generation before—though we were instilled with the values of our parents who were and are very much aware. My hope is that my children’s generation will be even more determined to address the problem.”
Rooted in strong values
Judy’s father owned a pharmacy in Newton, Massachusetts, where she and her brother worked during school vacations. “My parents, from very humble immigrant beginnings, took every opportunity to succeed in post-WWII America,” she says. Judy and her brother both attended private schools in Boston. Her brother would eventually become a physician, while Judy, after an undergraduate degree in psychology from Harvard University, received an MBA from Harvard Business School.
She then moved to New York, where she met Sam, also a Harvard grad and a native of New Jersey. Before they married, Sam told her about his abiding commitment to Israel and his readiness to serve in the IDF if Israel were in crisis. He also said he planned to retire early in order to have some time to give back to the community. He wanted to make sure Judy was comfortable with both of these intentions, which she was. Sam attained an MBA from Columbia University Business School just before their first child, Schuyler, was born.
Early in their marriage, Judy launched her own strategic marketing firm, while Sam advanced up the corporate ladder. Over the years, the family relocated several times for Sam’s work, starting with a move to Europe in 1983—first to England, then back to New York, followed by Australia, Sweden, The Netherlands, and returning to Australia in 2000, the family home ever since. Throughout these years of travel, Judy consulted on a range of corporate marketing initiatives and volunteered on not-for-profit boards, while also busily establishing a home life for Sam, Schuyler, and daughter Bryony, born in London.
Sam went on to a successful career in consumer products, education, and technology, where he held a series of senior management roles. In Australia, he became the Chairman of Altium Limited, a software company that makes tools for engineers to design the layout of printed circuit boards. He and his colleagues built Altium into the global market leader in its field, and its products are used today in the automotive, aerospace, defense, and telecommunications industries. The company was recently acquired by a Japanese semiconductor firm.
While Sam did not join the IDF, he did devote himself to his community. He was the volunteer president of The Benevolent Society, the oldest charity in Australia, which helps people at risk, including Indigenous Australians; chairman of Open Universities Australia, which provides online higher education, accessible to all; and is a highly engaged Board member of their synagogue. He also served as chairman of The Sydney Festival, the city’s major annual arts and culture celebration, and took on volunteer leadership roles for other arts and culture initiatives.
While living in The Netherlands, Judy began to rediscover her love of art and, upon returning to Australia, attained a BA degree in Fine Arts at the National Art School in Sydney in 2005. She subsequently embarked upon her second career, as a professional artist, and has exhibited her work since 2007.
Weizmann connection
Israel and the Jewish world were always present in Judy’s life—but it was around this same time that she wanted to do more. “Growing up in Boston and later at Harvard, I always knew about the Weizmann Institute—in fact I don’t remember a time when I didn’t know about Weizmann. It was just part of my vocabulary and that of my parents; we all admired its standard of excellence and international standing. In Australia, however, Weizmann had very little name recognition, even among the Jewish community, whereas other Israeli institutions and organizations were better known and supported.”
In 2009, Judy joined a group of friends to create Weizmann Australia, with Stephen Chipkin as Chair and Rina Michael as Executive Director. Judy’s early efforts were crucial to ensuring a Weizmann presence in the country, and to expanding its circle of support; in particular, she helped lead a successful Weizmann Australia mission to the campus in Rehovot in 2015.
Judy recalls being inspired in those early years of Weizmann Australia by a visit from Institute Prof. Ada Yonath to Australia in 2010, shortly after she won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her seminal work on mapping the ribosome. Prof. Alon Chen was also an early and inspiring visitor who made a lasting impression.
More recently, the sale of Altium “gave Sam and me the means to consider substantial philanthropy,” says Judy. “And our decision was pre-made; we knew we’d give to the Weizmann.” Just as they began planning their gift, they learned that the Institute had launched a new sustainability initiative. Schuyler and Bryony were immediately on board; it was a unanimous family decision.
“I can honestly say that this is a dream come true for me,” says Judy, “because I never thought I’d be in a position to be able to give in this way, and to two things that I care about so passionately—the environment and the Weizmann Institute.”
Adds Schuyler, “In my mind, if we don’t get this right—fix the climate, steward the environment—nothing else will matter. The pending crisis comes with ample warning signs, and in Australia they can’t be ignored—the drought, the wildfires, the fact that tropical cyclones head farther south than ever before, and the dying of the coral reef.”
Passing it down
Schuyler and Bryony, two years her brother’s junior, both received their undergraduate degrees from the University of Sydney. Schuyler obtained a degree in Chinese and embarked on a law degree. He soon left law school to pursue his dream of a career in the film industry and has enjoyed a long association with Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrmann. Recently Schuyler was nominated for an Academy Award as the producer of Luhrmann’s biopic, Elvis. In the interim, Schuyler lived in New York for more than a decade, where he met his wife, Danielle.
Today, the couple and their two children live on Australia’s Gold Coast, the growing epicenter of the Australian film industry.
Bryony studied psychology and linguistics as an undergraduate, while serving as President of the Sydney University Drama Society. She went on to attain an MBA from the University of Technology Sydney. Bryony has had a successful marketing career in New York and Australia, most recently in
IT, consulting on UX design, identifying consumer needs and behaviors, and translating them into products and services that meet these requirements. She lives in Sydney with her husband, Simon, and their two children. A busy working mother, Bryony also serves as president of the parent body in her children’s school.
Since October 7, Judy and Sam have become major advocates for Israel within their Jewish and non‑Jewish circles of friends. Judy has taken on as her personal mission “an incessant email campaign educating people about Israel’s reality,” offering facts and data to counter what she sees as a skewed media bias against Israel. Turning the tide of rising antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment is “just as urgent” she says, as confronting the environmental crisis, adding: “For our family, supporting the Weizmann Institute is the best antidote we can think of to mitigate against these incredible challenges.”