The 2024 Russ Berrie Making a Difference Awards seek nominations of inspiring leaders who create positive change in their communities.
Rolling the Torah scroll from Simchat Torah to Bereishit
“On my visit, I was confronted with two potential visions for Israel’s future, one optimistic and one pessimistic, depending on circumstances,” writes CEO Idana Goldberg, who recently returned from Israel and shared her reflections in eJewish Philanthropy. Philanthropists, wrestling with the dual tension of response and planning, seek to better understand their role in meeting Israel’s present needs while holding on to the desire to support a new vision for the nation’s safety and resilience in the day after.
This is not an abstract war, but a deeply personal one
CEO Idana Goldberg shares her personal reflections on the immense anguish and loss that Israelis – and Jews around the world – have been suffering since the October 7 attacks and start of the Israel-Hamas war.
The Fourth Quarter: On the front lines of building Israel’s resilience
CEO Ella Ringel describes how the Fourth Quarter movement has pivoted to support evacuees and build the Israeli spirit during the war and toward the nation’s future.
Israel Director Binny Shalev on his life and the Foundation’s work since Oct. 7
Israel director Binny Shalev shares a deeply personal account of the aftermath of the October 7 attacks and how the Foundation’s Israel team and grantees are responding to the crisis.
Foundation response to the attacks on Israel
Our heart breaks for those killed and injured, and for all Israelis in harm’s way and reeling from the unprecedented, unconscionable, traumatic attacks carried out by Hamas starting October 7. We are reaching out to our Israeli colleagues and grantees to determine their immediate needs as well as preparing a robust philanthropic response to this emergency for the weeks and months to come.
New Year, New Resolve to strengthen democracy in Israel
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.