Rosh Hashanah, CEO Idana Goldberg writes, is considered a day of judgement for the world; the liturgies of this holiest of days are replete with allusions to courts, lawyers, and the scales of justice. It’s an apt moment to reflect on the crisis unfolding in Israel around justice reform and the nation’s very future as a Jewish center of democratic values. Read how The Russell Berrie Foundation is redefining its priorities and more explicitly manifesting its commitment to a Jewish and Democratic Israel.
Q&A: The Power of the Tackle! Upstander Model in Preventing Violence
The Russell Berrie Foundation had the opportunity to check in with Humera Khan, president of Muflehun, and Ari Gordon, director of Muslim-Jewish Relations with the American Jewish Committee. These two organizations, under the auspices of the Muslim Jewish Advisory Council, jointly run the Tackle! Upstander training series to prevent domestic terrorism and targeted violence.
CEO Idana Goldberg interviewed on “Think Tank with Steve Adubato"
Watch CEO Idana Goldberg speak with Steve Adubato on Think Tank, where she discusses some of The Russell Berrie Foundation’s priorities in Northern New Jersey.
27th Annual Russ Berrie Making a Difference Awards Ceremony Honors 11 New Jersey Changemakers
John Paul II Lecture Explores Ways to Confront Anti-Religious Bigotry
The John Paul II Center co-sponsored a virtual lecture with The Jewish Theological Seminary, entitled, “How to Confront Anti-Religious Bigotry,” featuring three leaders of the Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign, a US-based interfaith coalition focused on ending Anti-Muslim bigotry.
Russ Berrie Making a Difference Award Announces Honorees for the 27th Annual Ceremony
Established by the late Russell Berrie, funded by the Russell Berrie Foundation, and hosted and managed by Ramapo College of New Jersey, the awards honor New Jersey residents whose outstanding community service and heroic acts have made a substantial impact on the lives of others.
Eleven outstanding changemakers will be honored at the 27th Anniversary Award Ceremony on Friday, May 5, 2023, 11:30am at Ramapo College of New Jersey.
Strengthening Connections in our Northern New Jersey Communities
Russell Berrie Foundation CEO Idana Goldberg writes, “In this time, when life in America and in Israel is so polarized and opportunities to engage in cross-dialogue so rare, we must push to build bridges that strengthen and reinforce connections across different beliefs and cultures. This is where The Russell Berrie Foundation is leaning in, both here in our home community and in Israel.”
Her latest letter to the field presents findings from the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey's community-wide study, which shows that people’s connection to Jewish life across the region is both strong and resilient and, at the same time, fragmented and tenuous. Goldberg points to the degree to which Jews in Northern New Jersey, and more broadly, live in their own denominational bubbles – feeling a strong shared sense of identity with others within their own denomination but otherwise claiming little in common with Jews of other denominations – as a particular concern.
Overall, we hope the Russell Berrie Foundation’s work together with the Federation and its local partners – powered by the data we’ve gathered and will continue to gather – will make our community an even stronger, better connected, and more dynamic center of Jewish life and culture.
Heeding the Shofar’s Call: A New Year's Message From Our CEO
Our CEO, Dr. Idana Goldberg reflects on heeding the Shofar’s call this Rosh Hashanah. She writes ”With its distinctive bleats and cadences building to the crescendo of the tekiah gedolah, it is the ultimate wakeup call: a call to reflection and a call to action.”
