# Debra Gonsher Vinik

Debra Gonsher Vinik, is an American producer and writer of documentary films.

## Biography

Dr. Gonsher Vinik worked as a producer at Bravo Magazine and was head of production for both CBS/Fox Video and Scanline Video. She earned her Ph.D. in Theatre Criticism from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and is currently a Professor and Coordinator of the Liberal Arts & Sciences Program at Bronx Community College at the City University of New York.
She is based in New York.

## Work

Dr. Gonsher Vinik has produced and written 21 documentaries, twelve of which have been nominated for Emmy awards and six of which have won the honors: And The Gates Opened (2007), The Eternal Light (2008), Yearning To Belong (2009), Divine Prescription: Stories of Faith, Health and Community (2013), Beauty of their Dreams (2017), Brightness of Noon, part II (2019). Her films have appeared at festivals worldwide. Her latest work is Attention Must Be Paid: Women Lost in the Opioid Crisis a 90-minute feature documentary has been shown at live conferences and streamed to thousands in 2022, prior to airing as an expanded 2-part series on ABC, entitled Listen to the Silence.
Her films generally focus on social justice issues from a multi-faith perspective and address such subjects as community and inclusion for disabled people, hunger in America, intimate partner violence, healthcare, immigration, and advocating for girls' education worldwide.
Vinik has written two books and one textbook:
* Gonsher, Debra A., and Joshua Halberstam. The Community College Guide: The Essential Reference from Application to Graduation. Dallas, TX: BenBella, 2009. Print.
* -----------------------. Career Speak: Articulation and Presentation. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt, 2005. Print.
* -----------------------. Embracing Judaism: Personal Narratives of Renewed Faith. Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson, 1999. Print.

## Films

| Listen to the Silence: Women Trapped in the Opioid Epidemic (2023) | ABC | 2-part documentary |
| Attention Must Be Paid (2022) | | 90 minute feature documentary |
| Brightness of Noon, Parts I & II (2018–2019) | ABC | Emmy Award for Part II |
| The Beauty of Their Dreams (2016) | ABC | Emmy Award) |
| Every Word Has Power'' (2015) | ABC | (Emmy Nomination) |
| All of the Above' (2014) | ABC | |
| Divine Prescription (2013) | ABC | 2014 NY Emmy |
| A Peace of Bread (2011) | ABC | RNA 2nd place |
| I Believe You: Faiths' Response to Intimate Partner Violence(2010) | ABC & NBC | Emmy Nomination, RNA 3rd |
| A Place for All: Faith and Community for Persons with Disabilities (2009) | ABC & NBC | Emmy Nomination, De Rose Hinkhouse 1st place |
| Yearning to Belong (2009) | ABC & NBC | 2009 NY Emmy |
| Everyone Prays at Holy Etchmiadzin (2008) | ABC & PBS | Emmy Nomination |
| And the Gates Opened: Women in the Rabbinate (2007) | ABC & NBC | 2008 NY Emmy |
| The Eternal Light: A Historical Retrospective (2006) | ABC & NBC | 2007 NY Emmy |
| Legacy of Our Ancestors: The 350th Anniversary of Jews in Early America (2004) | ABC & NBC | |
| The Highest Commandment (2003) | ABC & NBC | |
| Faith First (2002) | ABC & NBC | Emmy Nomination |
| A Sacred Noise (2001) | ABC & NBC | |
| To God's Ear: Song and Music of the Jewish Liturgy (2000) | ABC & NBC | Emmy Nomination |
| Grateful, Am I, To You (1999) | ABC & NBC | 1st prize, Education Category, 7th Annual International Jewish Film Festival |
| Embracing Judaism: Reaching In, Reaching Out, Reaching Up (1995) | ABC & NBC | |