Atlanta Jewish Foundation Impact Story
March 17, 2026
Rebbetzin Sara Wineberg greeted me outside with a big smile. It was our first time meeting, yet her warmth made it feel like we had been friends for years.
We entered the unassuming Dunwoody office building and walked up a steep flight of stairs. “This is a great workout,” I commented, clearly out of shape. “We actually had a 90-something-year-old climb up these stairs,” she laughed. “Remind me to tell you about him later.”
At the top of the stairs, the space opened suddenly – like stepping through a portal. What I expected to be a typical office suite revealed itself as something entirely different: an open, light-filled sanctuary framed by dark wooden beams and a tall, pitched roof.
Sara gestured around the room proudly. “It has so much depth and character. I think that’s reflective of what we do here.”
Established in 2022 by Sara and her husband, Rabbi Mendy Wineberg, Chabad of Dunwoody serves the needs of the local community through Shabbat services, Torah classes, children’s programs, and holiday events.
“We are here to provide connection, warmth, and inspiration for the Jewish community,” Sara says, offering homemade blueberry muffins. “We want every Jew to know that they have a home to go to. If they’re feeling like it’s hard to be a Jew today. If they need chicken soup. Education for their kid. A mezuzah. A hug. A blueberry muffin. We got you covered. It’s not just the spiritual needs. It’s the physical and emotional needs, too.”
A Global Mission, One Jew at a Time
The Winebergs arrived in Dunwoody nearly four years ago as emissaries of the global Chabad movement.
Inspired by the leadership of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (of blessed memory), Chabad has grown into one of the most expansive Jewish outreach networks in the world, with more than 5,000 centers across over 100 countries.
“What he built was essentially an army of men, women and children, who are committed to bringing Judaism to places and people who aren’t getting access to it,” Sara shares. “You need a Kosher Challah in Timbuktu? We got you.”
She recalls an inspiring woman she met in school who later opened a Chabad House in Fairbanks, Alaska. “The incredible self-sacrifice that she deals with on a day-to-day basis. No sunlight. Or only sunlight. Freezing temperatures. These are the lengths that people will go to, to reach just one Jew. To have one meaningful conversation. That is the everlasting impact of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.”
Building a Jewish Home in Dunwoody
Greater Atlanta now hosts multiple Chabad houses, but when the Winebergs arrived, Dunwoody didn’t yet have one.
“We started off small and humble, at our house.” Services, classes, and community events took place in their living room. As attendance grew, the need for a dedicated space became clear. “Two years in, we realized it was becoming a little tight,” she said. “Thank Gd – a good sign of growth.”
The search eventually led them to the second-floor space where we were now sitting. “When my husband found this spot, he immediately fell in love. And as soon as I walked in, my reaction was, ‘Oh my Gd. Yes.’”
The location may be tucked away, but the community is beginning to discover it. “So many people say, ‘We had no idea you were here. We live around the corner!’” She paused and laughed. “I would call it a tucked away gem.”
Atlanta Jewish Foundation donors have also discovered the secret. They are supporting Chabad of Dunwoody in a strategic, tax-smart way through their Donor-Advised Funds.
Plot Twists
The late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks once said: “Good leaders create followers. Great leaders create leaders.”
That line has stuck with Sara. Her goal isn’t simply to provide Jewish programming – it’s to empower others to carry it forward. Often, that mission unfolds through small and unexpected encounters.
Sara recalls a young boy whose family was preparing to move away from Atlanta. The teenager was approaching Bar Mitzvah age, but the family had no plans to mark the milestone.
“We said, ‘This can’t be,’” Sara recalls. The Winebergs organized a celebration in their home. “We got their friends to come, we bought him a pair of tefillin and made it a very memorable party.”
The impact was lasting. To this day, the boy’s mother calls Sara to thank her. Her son now has a positive affinity toward Judaism because of the experience.
Other stories feel even more like a plot twist.
Once, before Passover, Rabbi Wineberg was delivering boxes of shmurah matzah door-to-door. He knocked on a house with a mezuzah on the door. “The guy looked through the peephole and waved him away,” Sara said. “He thought he was a Jehovah’s Witness.”
Fifteen minutes later, the phone rang. “The man’s wife called and said, ‘Did you just drop off a box of matzah? I wasn’t planning on making Passover this year, but because you brought the matzah, I’m going to do a little something.’”
Today, Sara says that couple has become one of their closest and dearest friends.
“You just never know your impact. You can even be turned away, and suddenly, something meaningful grows from it.”
Judaism = Joy
Much of Sara’s focus is on working with children. Chabad of Dunwoody’s Hebrew school includes hands-on learning, field trips, and plenty of fun. “We’ve got great teachers, great staff, amazing vibes.”
Recently, the students visited a local pastry shop to learn about baking kosher goods. “The kids watched how I turned on the oven to make Kosher cinnamon buns. And then – of course – we ate them.”
Sara’s philosophy is simple: “From the moment they come in, I want every interaction to be positive and upbeat. I want them to associate their Judaism as something joyful, and exciting.”
Steve’s Story
As our conversation ended, we headed back down the stairs. I remembered Sara’s earlier comment about the 90-year-old visitor.
She smiled when I asked.
Steve is a gentle soul in his nineties, living alone in Atlanta. He grew up in a traditional Jewish home, but life carried him far from practice for most of his adult years. Still, he often sang the songs he learned in Hebrew school and spoke about the times his father would take him to shul each week.
“You would have loved my father,” Steve told Rabbi Wineberg.
Two years ago, on Rosh Hashanah, the Winebergs invited Steve to come to shul for the first time in over fifty years. With effort, he climbed the steep staircase, and when the time for Torah reading arrived, Steve was called up as a Kohen.
He stood there, tall but fragile. As he prepared to recite the blessings, his eyes filled with tears. “My father would be so proud to see this.”
Then he began the brachot – softly, carefully – to the same melody he had learned as a boy so many decades ago. In that moment, time seemed to fold in on itself: a son, a father, and a Jewish soul finding its way home.
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