Cora Weiss: ‘A full and incredibly impactful life’

Cora Weiss, a longtime activist who fought for gender equality, human rights, and world peace and who loved gathering with friends and family during summers in Aquinnah at the family home, died Monday at the age of 91 in a Manhattan hospital. 

She was described by the New York Times as a “lifelong champion of social justice” before she died in a hospital in Manhattan. Her death came just weeks after the early November death of her husband, attorney and human rights advocate Peter Weiss. Cora died on what would have been Peter’s 100th birthday. 

“No one knew until [five] days ago that she had lymphoma,” according to a note sent to The MV Times  from Judy, Tamara, and Danny, children of the Weisses. “We all knew, however, that she could not bear to be without her beloved Peter.” 

The Weiss family stated Cora “led a full and incredibly impactful life.” Cora’s path to social justice began early at home with the influence of her mother, Vera Rubin. After Cora joined the Riverdale, N.Y., chapter of Women Strike for Peace in 1961 to rally against nuclear weapons testing, she would help to “organize some of the most important mass demonstrations in the 1960s.” She would also help launch other initiatives, like a service to send mail and packages between American prisoners of war in Vietnam and their families at home. Cora was also involved in drafting U.N. Security Council Resolution 1325, which underscores the importance of women’s role in the peacemaking process, and highlights the disproportionate harm inflicted on women by armed conflicts. The resolution was unanimously passed in 2000. Cora was also president of the Hague Appeal for peace, a network of antiwar groups. 

Cora was dedicated to shaping a more peaceful and just world. The timing of Cora’s death perhaps also showcases the bond she shared with her husband, who was her partner in both love and pursuit of social justice.

“Their partnership of 69 years exemplified a shared mission of advancing peace and justice around the world,” Peter Weiss’ obituary reads. “They did everything together, from inspiring countless individuals to take up the cause of social justice to watching the sunset every summer on Martha’s Vineyard.” 

The Weisses were seasonal residents of the Island and had a home overlooking the water off Lighthouse Road in Aquinnah, and their time there was at the center of their marriage in 1956. A part of their honeymoon was spent in Menemsha, on what was once called “Socialist Hill,” and the couple would buy the Homestead, their summer home until they moved to a home in Aquinnah they bought with three other families. 

The Weisses would continue peace efforts on the Vineyard as well, holding antiwar meetings with other peace activists in the back of their Menemsha barn, and making early morning trips to the Gay Head Light on Hiroshima Day. Tamara Weiss recalled the love her mother had for her neighbors and friends, from Juli Vanderhoop, whose granola Cora was obsessed with, to swimming in Menemsha with E.Y. (“Yip”) Harburg, one of the composers for the 1939 “Wizard of Oz” movie, to shopping at Adriana Ignacio and Berta Welch’s shops at the Aquinnah Cliffs. 

Tamara said her mother was the last member of the original four families who bought the Lighthouse Road property. The homes on the property have gone to the next generations. Tamara said Cora particularly loved watching the sunset from her home with her husband and children. 

“She loved the Vineyard,” Tamara said. “This was her happy place for sure.” 

Cora Weiss is survived by her children, Judy, Tamara, and Danny; Danny’s wife Anne Stewart; and grandchildren, including Jules (Emily), Noah (Kelsey), Maria (Gabi), Catherine (Brianna), and Simon; and by her brother, Reed Rubin.