Photo credit: Dr. Gary Zola
Stefani and Dr. Gary Zola
By David Woolpy
Assistant Editor
The American Israelite has selected Stefani and Gary Zola as its first People of the Year, honoring a Cincinnati couple whose shared commitment to Jewish life, scholarship, education, and community service has shaped generations locally and nationally. More People of the Year will be featured over the coming few weeks.
For more than four decades, the Zolas have contributed in complementary ways to the intellectual, spiritual, and human fabric of Cincinnati’s Jewish community. Together, they exemplify lives devoted to learning, care for others, and public service — values deeply rooted in Jewish tradition.
Rabbi Gary Zola, Ph.D., a distinguished historian of American Jewry, recently concluded more than 40 years of service at Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion, where he is Executive Director Emeritus of the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives and the Edward M. Ackerman Family Distinguished Professor Emeritus of the American Jewish Experience and Reform Jewish History. Under his leadership, the American Jewish Archives grew into the world’s largest free-standing research center dedicated exclusively to the American Jewish experience, expanding both its collections and its global reach through innovative programming and digitization.
A prolific scholar, Zola has authored and edited numerous influential books and articles exploring American Jewish history, Reform Judaism and Jewish civic engagement. His work has helped define the field while making it accessible to broader audiences. His national service includes appointments by Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden to major federal commissions, including the United States Holocaust Memorial Council and the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad — roles that reflect his standing as a trusted steward of Jewish and American historical memory.
Alongside these academic and civic achievements stands Stefani “Stefi” Zola, whose professional life has centered on healing, education and personal connection. A speech and language pathologist for more than 40 years, Stefi has worked with hundreds of children and adults facing speech, language, swallowing and cognitive challenges. Her career has included service at leading institutions such as Jewish Hospital, TriHealth Rehabilitation Hospital, Cedar Village, Head Start and the Cincinnati Center for Developmental Disorders.
For more than 15 years, Stefi also served as a beloved preschool teacher in Rockwern Academy’s Early Childhood Center, where her warmth, empathy, and insight left a lasting imprint on countless young children and their families. Known throughout the community for her kindness and caring presence, she has touched lives in ways that extend far beyond her professional titles.
Family is central to the Zolas’ story. Approaching their 50th wedding anniversary in 2026, they are parents of four grown children and grandparents to five, all living in Cincinnati. Their enduring partnership reflects a shared devotion to community, learning and one another.
In honoring Stephani and Gary Zola as People of the Year, the American Israelite celebrates not only individual accomplishments, but a life lived together in service — quietly transformative, deeply Jewish and profoundly Cincinnati.
