Jay Ruderman Explained

Jay Ruderman
Birth Name:Jay Seth Ruderman
Birth Date:16 March 1966
Occupation:Activist and philanthropist
Parents:Morton Edward Ruderman, Marcia Jortner Ruderman
Website:Official 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

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

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

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] Ruderman also hosts the podcast, "All About Change" (previously "All Inclusive"), which focuses on social justice and inclusion.[14]

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.[15] [16] At the Sundance Film Festival in January 2020, Ruderman called for greater accessibility and the inclusion of people with disabilities and diversity.[17] In March 2020, he sponsored an event to present Peter and Bobby Farrelly with an award for hiring actors with disabilities.[18] He also worked with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to improve accessibility in the Oscars, being consulted in the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures' accessibility efforts as well as his advocacy resulting in the 2021 Oscars featuring its first integrated stage ramp and the 2024 Oscars including confidential accessibility requests for all attendees.[19]

Ruderman has also proposed such changes to the Israeli film industry. In December 2021, he convinced four major Israeli broadcasting corporations to improve civil rights within the entertainment industry for people with disabilities.[20]

In 2010, Ruderman partnered with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and the Israeli government to fund inclusion for people with disabilities in Israel. This included programming to integrate people with disabilities into the work force, as well as support groups and independent living facilities.[21]

In 2023, Ruderman has focused on combatting antisemitic 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.[22]

Philanthropy

Ruderman served on the board of directors of the National Organization on Disability.[23] He sits on the board of governors of the University of Haifa,[24] the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee,[25] IMPACT-se,[26] and is a member of the Brandeis University Board of Trustees,[27] . He was a member of the committee of the Jewish Agency for Israel.[28]

Views and opinions on Israel

Ruderman has sought to strengthen the relationship between American Jewry and Israeli opinion leaders.[29] 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."[30] Ruderman has additionally expressed disappointment over Israel's stance on egalitarian prayer at the Western Wall[31] and 2020 comments by Israel's then Minister of Education Rafi Peretz about the high rate of intermarriage among American Jews.[32] Ruderman believes that the "doomsday talks" of an irreversible chasm between Israel and the American Jewish community are mistaken.[33]

Awards and recognition

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Negri . Gloria . Morton Ruderman, 75; devoted life to helping others . The Boston Globe . 2011-10-31 . 2018-02-22.
  2. https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/obituaries/2011/10/31/morton-ruderman-devoted-life-helping-others/rL8YpiDtdYBG1iWAWLgpwI/story.html Morton Ruderman devoted life to helping others
  3. https://jewishjournal.org/2023/02/02/honorable-menschion-jay-ruderman-sharon-shapiro-and-shira-ruderman/ Honorable Menschion: Jay Ruderman, Sharon Shapiro, and Shira Ruderman
  4. https://bog.haifa.ac.il/images/Ruderman-eng.pdf University of Haifa
  5. Web site: Jay Ruderman '88 – Commencement – Brandeis University. www.brandeis.edu. March 22, 2019.
  6. Web site: Class of 1993 – School of Law. www.bu.edu. March 22, 2019.
  7. Web site: Jerusalem Post 50 Most Influential Jews: Number 46 – Jay and Shira Ruderman. The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. September 29, 2016 .
  8. News: Linde. Steve. Jerusalem Post 50 Most Influential Jews: Number 46. March 12, 2018. The Jerusalem Post. September 29, 2016.
  9. News: Linde . Steve . September 29, 2016 . Jerusalem Post 50 Most Influential Jews: Number 46 . The Jerusalem Post.
  10. https://www.jpost.com/author/jay-ruderman Jerusalem Post:Jay Ruderman
  11. Web site: Jay Ruderman – NCFP. February 15, 2019. en-US. 2019-12-19.
  12. Web site: Shalev . Asaf . 26 February 2021 . The Jewish world's biggest donor to disability inclusion is pulling its funding . timesofisrael.com.
  13. Web site: Cohen . Debra Nussbaum . 10 February 2020 . How the Rudermans helped bring disability awareness to the Oscars . jewishinsider.com.
  14. Web site: Bolton-Fasman . Judy . 1 February 2022 . Jay Ruderman Leads the Way in Disability Advocacy and Jewish Values . jewishboston.com.
  15. Web site: Buckley . Cara . 5 February 2020 . For the Disabled in Hollywood, Report Finds Hints of Progress . The New York Times.
  16. Web site: 11 April 2017 . Ruderman Family Foundation expands disability work beyond Jewish world . timesofisrael.
  17. Web site: January 16, 2020 . Sundance Partnership Extends Accessibility for Attendees With Disabilities . The Hollywood Reporter.
  18. Web site: Gray . Tim . 2020-03-05 . Farrelly Brothers Saluted for Inclusion and Activism . Variety.
  19. Web site: White . Abbey . A Recent History of the Academy's Accessibility and Disability Inclusion Efforts . The Hollywood Reporter . 7 March 2024.
  20. Web site: Linde . Steve . 25 September 2022 . Jay and Shira Ruderman: Jews combining philanthropy and advocacy . jpost.com.
  21. Web site: Banjo. Shelly. Lawyer Launches Special-Needs Partnership in Israel. 4 September 2010. wsj.com.
  22. Web site: Linhardt . James . 2023-10-27 . Celebrities Have a Leading Role to Play in Countering the Rising Tide of Antisemitism . 2023-12-07 . Variety . en-US.
  23. Web site: Our Board . 2019-12-27 . National Organization on Disability . en-US.
  24. Web site: Mrs. Shira and Mr. Jay Ruderman (Israel/USA), Philanthropists . 2019-12-27 . bogcms.haifa.ac.il . en-gb.
  25. Web site: 2019-12-26 . Officers & Board Members . 2020-05-22 . JDC . en.
  26. Web site: 12 January 2023 . Israeli NGO finds hopeful signs in first report on Indonesian curriculum . jns.org.
  27. Web site: Leadership & Trustees Brandeis University . www.brandeis.edu/.
  28. Web site: Members Of The Assembly Serving On BOG Committees . 2020-05-26 . The Jewish Agency . en.
  29. Web site: Joe Lieberman: US-Israel relations about to become 'very productive'. Ahren. Raphael. www.timesofisrael.com. en-US. 2020-01-17.
  30. https://jewishjournal.org/2023/02/02/honorable-menschion-jay-ruderman-sharon-shapiro-and-shira-ruderman/ Honorable Menschion: Jay Ruderman, Sharon Shapiro, and Shira Ruderman
  31. Web site: Major US Jewish philanthropists decry Western Wall backtrack, conversion bill. www.timesofisrael.com. en-US. 2020-01-17.
  32. Web site: Israel's education minister: Intermarriage among US Jews 'like second Holocaust'. www.timesofisrael.com. en-US. 2020-01-17.
  33. Web site: Love for Israel Survives a Decade of Discord. jewishweek.timesofisrael.com. February 5, 2020 . en-US. 2020-02-06.
  34. Web site: University of Haifa . June 2, 2015 . Jay, Shira Ruderman . University of Haifa.
  35. Web site: Linde, Steve . Jerusalem Post 50 Most Influential Jews: Number 46 – Jay and Shira Ruderman – TRENDING STORIES – Jerusalem Post . 2019-07-10 . www.jpost.com. September 29, 2016 .
  36. Web site: Jay and Shira Ruderman: Jews combining philanthropy and advocacy . 2022-09-27 . The Jerusalem Post JPost.com . September 25, 2022 . en-US.
  37. Web site: Jocelyn Gould . Jay Ruderman ('93) to Receive an Honorary Degree from Brandeis University – School of Law . March 22, 2019 . www.bu.edu.
  38. Web site: Green . Suzanne . 2019-09-19 . Jay and Shira Ruderman receive Jacob Rader Marcus Award . 2019-10-02 . Jewish Journal . en-US.
  39. Web site: Bernstein, David . April 27, 2021 . The 100 Most Influential Bostonians .
  40. Web site: BOST June 22 Page 108 . 2022-09-23 . digital.modernluxury.com . en-US.
  41. Web site: Rosenbaum, Alan . Jay and Shira Ruderman receive Jerusalem Post Lifetime Achievement Award . 2022-09-15 . The Jerusalem Post JPost.com . September 14, 2022 . en-US.

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