Jew in the City’s 6th Annual All Star Awards
Jew in the City is an organization reshaping the way the world views Orthodox Jews and Judaism. For the 6th time, founder Allison Josephs brought together exceptional individuals in a variety of fields who are both trailblazers in their careers and role models in their communities. The award winners were recognized on stage at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall in a room with close to 600 guests.
This year’s honorees included Joseph Essas, Chief Technology Officer of OpenTable; Karen Barrow, Senior Editor at the New York Times; AJ Edelman and Bat-el Gatterer, Olympians representing Israel; The Honorable David Friedman, U.S. Ambassador to Israel; Dov Kramer, Executive Producer at WFAN radio; Shulem Lemmer, the first Hasidic Jew to sign with a major record label; The Secretary of Transportation of Massachusetts, The Honorable Stephanie Pollack, Sam Rascoff, Former Director, NYPD Intelligence Analysis Unit; and Jerry Wittenstein, NASA scientist who developed 3 out of the 6 trajectories for Apollo 11.
The Big Bang Theory Actress Mayim Bialik was also recognized for her historic commitment to Jewish observance in the midst of secular Hollywood. While Bialik couldn’t attend the event in person, she received her award via Skype (opening up a package with a tiara in it live on camera) and addressed the audience in a speech on screen.
Members of previous All-Star classes were also in attendance including the Honorable Ruchie Freier, the first Hasidic Female judge; Lawrence Burian, general counsel, secretary and executive vice president for The Madison Square Garden Company; and Saul Blinkoff, Disney animator and director.
This year’s honoree and current Universal Records artist, Shulem Lemmer performed a song live with a capella group, The Maccabeats, who were also honored at the same event in the past.
Adding to the celebrity guest list were radio host Sid Rosenberg and Real Housewife of New Jersey Delores Catania, who although not Jewish, heard about the event and was inspired by the mission, prompting her to see it for herself.
The goal of the event was to inspire as well as raise money for another division of Jew in the City, Project Makom. Project Makom helps Jews raised with negative experiences in the Haredi world find a positive to belong place within the Jewish community. Following the event, one member who previously hated being Jewish expressed, “I have no words! Amazing event! I love being Jewish and I want to scream it to the world!”
The event was catered by Nobo Wine and Grill in partnership with Genadeen Caterers, Herzog wine, Misceo Liquers, and Baked by the Dozen desserts.
Interviews are available with current and past honorees upon request.
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Jew in the City, a non-profit founded in 2007 by Allison Josephs, reverses negative associations about religious Jews by highlighting the kindness, tolerance, sincerity, and critical thinking coming from the community. A new branch of the organization, Project Makom, helps Jews raised with negative experiences in the Haredi world find a positive to belong place within the Jewish community.
Jew in the City is reshaping the way the world views Orthodox Jews and Judaism. It publicizes the message that Orthodox Jews can be funny and approachable, and further—educated, pro-women and open-minded. Orthodox Judaism links the Jewish people to a deep and beautiful heritage that is just as relevant today as it ever was. With a mix of light humor and rich content, Jew in the City explores controversial topics in a pleasant and easy-to-understand fashion, appealing to anyone who is curious to learn more about Orthodox Jews and observant Judaism, whether they are Jewish or not.
Past Orthodox Jewish All Stars have included former Senator Joe Lieberman; Ford Motor Company VP and Treasurer, Neil Schloss; UK Pensions Minister, Baroness Ros Altmann; the Honorable Ruchie Freier, the first Hasidic Female judge; David Mazouz, teen star of the hit Fox drama Gotham; Nobel Laureate Robert Aumann; Emmy winning co-executive producer of the hit TV series Modern Family Ilana Wernick; Treasury Secretary Jack Lew; CEO of advertising agency 360i, Sarah Hofstetter, Creative Director of BCBGeneration, Joyce Azria, and Chief Risk Officer at the NSA, Anne Neuberger.
Photo Credit: David Miller
