Jay Ruderman

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Jay Ruderman
Jay Ruderman, 2014
Born
Jay Seth Ruderman

(1966-03-16) March 16, 1966 (age 58)
Occupation(s)Activist and philanthropist
Spouse
​
(m. 2002)​
Parent(s)Morton Edward Ruderman, Marcia Jortner Ruderman
WebsiteOfficial website

Jay Seth Ruderman (born March 16, 1966) is an American lawyer, disability rights activist and philanthropist. He is the president of the Ruderman Family Foundation.

Early life and education[edit]

Jay Seth Ruderman was born in Boston to Marcia and Morton Ruderman, the eldest of three children.[1] Ruderman's father was a founder of Meditech.[2] He was raised in a traditional Jewish home to Zionist parents.[3] He visited Israel for the first time at the age of 13, as a gift for his bar-mitzvah.[4] He attended public schools in Lynnfield, Massachusetts, and received his undergraduate degree in 1988 from Brandeis University,[5] where he served as president of the student body in 1986–1987. He earned his JD from Boston University School of Law in 1993.[6]

Ruderman is married to Israeli-American Shira Menashe Ruderman, who serves as executive director of the Ruderman Foundation.[7] They live in the Greater Boston area and have four children.[8]

Career[edit]

Ruderman began his career as Assistant District Attorney in Salem, MA[9] and also worked as deputy director of AIPAC in New England. In 2005, he enlisted in the Israeli Defense Forces and became the liaison between the IDF and Diaspora Jewry.[10] After his service, he returned to AIPAC as Leadership Director in Israel before assuming a position at the Ruderman Family Foundation.[11]

Activism[edit]

Ruderman is the president of the Ruderman Family Foundation, which advocates for disability rights.[12] The foundation's first major project was inclusion of people with disabilities within the Jewish community, in Jewish day schools, summer camps and synagogues.[13]

In 2014, the foundation expanded to the Hollywood entertainment industry, working for the inclusion of disabled characters in TV shows and movies, and advocating for those roles to be acted by people with disabilities.[14][15] At the Sundance Film Festival in January 2020, Ruderman called for greater accessibility and the inclusion of people with disabilities and diversity.[16] In March 2020, he sponsored an event to present Peter and Bobby Farrelly with an award for hiring actors with disabilities.[17] Ruderman has also proposed such changes to the Israeli film industry.[17] In December 2021, he convinced four major Israeli broadcasting corporations to improve civil rights within the entertainment industry for people with disabilities.[18]

In 2023, Ruderman has focused on combatting anti-Semitic tropes within film and television by engaging Hollywood celebrities. Ruderman believes that "entertainers have a bigger impact on our society than even elected officials". Ruderman promotes the accurate and diverse portrayal of the Jewish people, with the goal of challenging misconceptions about their uniform appearance.[19]

Philanthropy[edit]

Ruderman served on the board of directors of the National Organization on Disability.[20] He sits on the board of governors of the University of Haifa,[21] the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee,[22] IMPACT-se,[23] and is a member of the Brandeis University Board of Trustees,[24] and a member of the committee of the Jewish Agency for Israel.[25]

Views and opinions[edit]

Ruderman has sought to strengthen the relationship between American Jewry and Israeli opinion leaders.[26] While serving in the IDF and becoming the military’s liaison with world Jewry, he came to hold the belief that there exists a substantial gap between Israelis and Americans, arguing "that whatever Americans think is not necessarily what Israelis think."[27] Ruderman has additionally expressed disappointment over Israel's stance on egalitarian prayer at the Western Wall[28] and 2020 comments by Israel's then Minister of Education Rafi Peretz about the high rate of intermarriage among American Jews.[29] Ruderman believes that the "doomsday talks" of an irreversible chasm between Israel and the American Jewish community are mistaken.[30]

Ruderman believes that unemployment for people with disabilities is a major civil rights issue that requires creative solutions, such as tailored job training programs and a change in attitudes among employers.

Awards and recognition[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Negri, Gloria (October 31, 2011). "Morton Ruderman, 75; devoted life to helping others". The Boston Globe. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  2. ^ Morton Ruderman devoted life to helping others, Boston Globe
  3. ^ Honorable Menschion: Jay Ruderman, Sharon Shapiro, and Shira Ruderman
  4. ^ University of Haifa
  5. ^ "Jay Ruderman '88 – Commencement – Brandeis University". www.brandeis.edu. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  6. ^ "Class of 1993 – School of Law". www.bu.edu. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  7. ^ "Jerusalem Post 50 Most Influential Jews: Number 46 – Jay and Shira Ruderman". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com.
  8. ^ Linde, Steve (September 29, 2016). "Jerusalem Post 50 Most Influential Jews: Number 46". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  9. ^ Linde, Steve (September 29, 2016). "Jerusalem Post 50 Most Influential Jews: Number 46". The Jerusalem Post.
  10. ^ Jerusalem Post:Jay Ruderman
  11. ^ "Jay Ruderman – NCFP". February 15, 2019. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
  12. ^ Shalev, Asaf (February 26, 2021). "The Jewish world's biggest donor to disability inclusion is pulling its funding". timesofisrael.com.
  13. ^ Cohen, Debra Nussbaum (February 10, 2020). "How the Rudermans helped bring disability awareness to the Oscars". jewishinsider.com.
  14. ^ Buckley, Cara (February 5, 2020). "For the Disabled in Hollywood, Report Finds Hints of Progress". nytimes.com.
  15. ^ "Ruderman Family Foundation expands disability work beyond Jewish world". timesofisrael. April 11, 2017.
  16. ^ "Sundance Partnership Extends Accessibility for Attendees With Disabilities". The Hollywood Reporter. January 16, 2020.
  17. ^ a b Gray, Tim (March 5, 2020). "Farrelly Brothers Saluted for Inclusion and Activism". Variety.
  18. ^ Linde, Steve (September 25, 2022). "Jay and Shira Ruderman: Jews combining philanthropy and advocacy". jpost.com.
  19. ^ Linhardt, James (October 27, 2023). "Celebrities Have a Leading Role to Play in Countering the Rising Tide of Antisemitism". Variety. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  20. ^ "Our Board". National Organization on Disability. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  21. ^ "Mrs. Shira and Mr. Jay Ruderman (Israel/USA), Philanthropists". bogcms.haifa.ac.il. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  22. ^ "Officers & Board Members". JDC. December 26, 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  23. ^ "Israeli NGO finds hopeful signs in first report on Indonesian curriculum". jns.org. January 12, 2023.
  24. ^ "Leadership & Trustees | Brandeis University". www.brandeis.edu/.
  25. ^ "Members Of The Assembly Serving On BOG Committees". The Jewish Agency. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  26. ^ Ahren, Raphael. "Joe Lieberman: US-Israel relations about to become 'very productive'". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  27. ^ Honorable Menschion: Jay Ruderman, Sharon Shapiro, and Shira Ruderman
  28. ^ "Major US Jewish philanthropists decry Western Wall backtrack, conversion bill". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  29. ^ "Israel's education minister: Intermarriage among US Jews 'like second Holocaust'". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  30. ^ "Love for Israel Survives a Decade of Discord". jewishweek.timesofisrael.com. February 5, 2020. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  31. ^ University of Haifa (June 2, 2015). "Jay, Shira Ruderman" (PDF). University of Haifa.
  32. ^ Linde, Steve. "Jerusalem Post 50 Most Influential Jews: Number 46 – Jay and Shira Ruderman – TRENDING STORIES – Jerusalem Post". www.jpost.com. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  33. ^ "Jay and Shira Ruderman: Jews combining philanthropy and advocacy". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  34. ^ Jocelyn Gould. "Jay Ruderman ('93) to Receive an Honorary Degree from Brandeis University – School of Law". www.bu.edu. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  35. ^ Green, Suzanne (September 19, 2019). "Jay and Shira Ruderman receive Jacob Rader Marcus Award". Jewish Journal. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  36. ^ Bernstein, David (April 27, 2021). "The 100 Most Influential Bostonians".
  37. ^ "BOST June 22 Page 108". digital.modernluxury.com. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  38. ^ Rosenbaum, Alan. "Jay and Shira Ruderman receive Jerusalem Post Lifetime Achievement Award". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  39. ^ פרס מפעל חיים של הג'רוזלם פוסט 2022 הוענק לג'יי ושירה רודרמן, retrieved September 15, 2022

External links[edit]

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