Congratulations to Fr. Ryan Muldoon, 2018-19 Russell Berrie Fellow at the John Paul II Center for Interreligious Dialogue at the Angelicum in Rome, for winning the first John Paul II Prize for Catholic-Jewish Studies! Watch Fr. Ryan speak about what inspired him to write his Licentiate thesis on the theological role that the Land of Israel plays in contemporary Jewish-Catholic Dialogue. The Prize is co-sponsored by the John Paul II Center and Institute for Ecumenical Studies at the Angelicum in collaboration with the Pontifical Council to Promote Christian Unity.
The Russell Berrie Foundation is excited to be partnering with the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey in a new initiative to understand the changing nature of the Jewish community in Northern New Jersey and plan for its future.
The Russell Berrie Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Idana Goldberg as our new CEO. Goldberg, who previously served as Chief Program Officer, succeeds founding CEO Ruth Salzman, whose term concluded in December 2021. “After an extensive national search, we are delighted to have selected Idana Goldberg to lead us into the second half of our Foundation’s journey,” said Angelica Berrie, President of RBF. “Over the last four years, Idana has been instrumental in shaping program strategy, leading our team in the execution of our strategic priorities to maximize our impact. At this critical juncture of the Foundation’s growth, Idana is the right leader to take us into the future.”
After 13 years leading The Russell Berrie Foundation, Ruth Salzman is stepping down. “During my time as CEO, RBF has approved 875 grants totaling more than $200 million,” Ruth writes. “In every case, the grantees have appreciated the support and warmly expressed their thanks. Now it’s my turn to flip the camera and reflect on the tremendous sense of gratitude I feel for all that I’ve experienced over these past years.” In her parting Letter From Our CEO, Ruth shares how, by asking the right questions, funders can make their grantees’ work (and their own) as innovative and effective as possible.
Israeli lawmakers, Bar-Ilan University officials, The Russell Berrie Foundation leadership and some 100 representatives of communities throughout Israel’s northern Galilee region gathered on November 16 to celebrate the official launch of The Russell Berrie Galilee Diabetes SPHERE: a $75 million effort to reduce healthcare disparities and transform diabetes care in the region. According to The Times of Israel, Israeli Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said the initiative will “address one of the most difficult health problems in the north.” Knesset member Idit Silman, the coalition whip, said diabetes was “a top priority for the government,” declaring: “Tonight, a major effort to reduce morbidity rates and to become a leader in the field of diabetes begins.” Silman hailed the comprehensive, interdisciplinary nature of the effort, which will bring together a broad spectrum of healthcare providers, researchers, community leaders, NGOs and more. “This is the connection we need between academia and the field,” she said.
The Russell Berrie Foundation and the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine of Bar-Ilan University are announcing the creation of The Russell Berrie Galilee Diabetes SPHERE, a program designed to reduce healthcare disparities and transform diabetes care in Israel’s socioeconomically disadvantaged northern Galilee region. The holistic, comprehensive effort will also spur innovations in diabetes treatment and prevention that can be applied around the world, as diabetes rates continue to rise. One million Israelis are expected to be diagnosed with the disease by 2040, a disproportionate number of them from the Galilee. “The Russell Berrie Galilee Diabetes SPHERE draws on Israel’s unparalleled expertise in healthcare innovation to change the landscape for future generations,” said Angelica Berrie.
The Russell Berrie Foundation is proud to share a new report on economic development in Israel’s North, which we commissioned to better understand why change has been slow to come to this diverse region despite years of investment by the Israeli government, philanthropists and others. “Application Model for Regional Economic Development,” prepared by longtime grantee JDC-ELKA in consultation with on-the-ground experts, offers pragmatic insights on what’s worked, what hasn’t and why. Available in English and Hebrew, it brings fresh thinking to the question of how to effect change across a region—by building connective tissue and networking opportunities to tackle challenges that go beyond the capabilities of individual local authorities. The report provides a toolkit to help funders and other stakeholders have a greater impact and achieve meaningful advancement in Israel’s North and other geographical regions (in Israel and elsewhere in the world).
Twenty-four of New Jersey’s most inspiring “unsung heroes” were honored on May 7 at a virtual ceremony, as we celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Russ Berrie Making a Difference Award. Among the honorees: Dionisio Cucuta, Jr., who created a robust volunteer-based food distribution program during the pandemic; Kim Gaddy (pictured), whose tenacious advocacy for environmental justice on behalf of communities of color led New Jersey to adopt some of the country’s strongest environmental justice legislation; and Anthony Capuano, who braved freezing November waters to rescue a driver whose car had sunk into the Newark Bay. Speaking at the online ceremony, Angelica Berrie, president of The Russell Berrie Foundation, said that the 300 individuals honored over the past quarter-century embodied her late husband’s entrepreneurial approach to solving life’s problems. “Like him, they weren’t afraid to go where others feared to tread,” she said. “They were not afraid to be pioneers.”
