Zach Gingold and Maggie Wolf to Lead JFSLA’s Young Leaders Group

Zach Gingold and Maggie Wolf were recently appointed as Chair and Vice Chair, respectively, of JFSLA’s Young Leaders Group. Gingold has been an active member of the Young Leaders since 2017 and Wolf became a member in 2020. 

The JFSLA Young Leaders are a dynamic group of community-minded individuals between the ages of 21 and 40. They are committed to furthering JFSLA’s mission to create a kinder, more compassionate LA through volunteerism, philanthropy, social events, and more. 

Gingold and Wolf will share the responsibilities of overseeing the Young Leaders Executive Committee, helping to think of new projects for the group, leading fundraising efforts including the annual Tools for School event, and making sure the established goals for the group are met. 

Both Gingold and Wolf’s connection to Jewish Family Service LA began with a Google search for volunteer opportunities in Los Angeles. Inspired by his family’s commitment to philanthropy, Gingold wanted to make an impact in the community. His family is involved with various other organizations in LA, including the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and the American Jewish University. Like his family, Gingold wanted to serve the Jewish community as well as the LA community at large.

“Here I am, this young guy out of college that just started out by wanting to get involved,” Gingold said. “I’ve taken on a little more responsibility throughout the years and now here I am as Chair and leader of the group. It’s a great feeling and I’m just overall very excited.” As Chair, Gingold hopes to increase participation and raise more funds for community events. 

Prior to becoming Chair, Gingold served as Finance Chair of the group. Gingold is a real estate associate at Westport Capital Partners. He graduated from Indiana University with majors in media law and economics. 

Like Gingold, Maggie Wolf also discovered JFSLA online and was captivated by the mission of the Young Leaders.  She was looking for an experience that would help her connect to her family’s history. Wolf is a descendent of two survivors of the Holocaust. In September of 2020, Wolf found herself reflecting over the passing of her beloved grandfather.

“What would have been his birthday rolled around and I wanted to do something that made me feel connected to him,” said Wolf. “I have always engaged in service in different ways and with different organizations, but at that moment I wanted to feel connected to my heritage, my Judaism, and him.”

As the new Vice Chair of Young Leaders, Wolf hopes to grow the group and keep members engaged through more in-person opportunities. She is the head of business and product development at the Una Malan, a small, women-owned business based in Los Angeles. She attended Boston University where she majored in art history and communications.

“I am not just someone who operates in my community, but contributes to it as well,” Wolf said. “There is an endless amount of opportunity and space for anyone who wants to contribute, that is not necessarily monetary. It is about your passion, your creativity, and your desire. You can take any of your skills and add value to the group. Then that collective value of the group can make a very large impact on Jewish and other communities in LA.”

Both Gingold and Wolf hope to bring fun, meaningful, and exciting new projects to the Young Leaders. “One of the things that we’re really excited about is that we’re starting to put together a cookbook that will raise funds for the Young Leaders and the agency,” said Gingold. “We want to make sure that every recipe has a story behind it. We are gathering recipes from people that are directly benefiting from JFSLA, including survivors of the Holocaust, families that receive services from the agency, and even local celebrity chefs that have a Jewish connection. We’re going to compile them and put their stories together into a beautiful work of art that we believe will be passed down for generations.”

When asked again why this work is so important to him, Gingold replied, “Helping the world, just even one person, one step at a time is really what life is about.”

If you are interested in joining the JFS Young Leaders, please contact Zach Gingold or Maggie Wolf at jfslayl@gmail.com. For more information about the JFS Young Leaders, please visit https://www.jfsla.org/our-work/volunteer/young-leaders/.