Jewish “Genius” Grant Bestowed on Philadelphia Pioneer of Community Outreach

NEW YORK, NY — Citing his vision and creativity, the Avi Chai Foundation awarded Chabad-Lubavitch Rabbi Menachem Schmidt one of its first-ever fellowships. The monetary grant is part of the largest cash award bestowed on emerging communal and educational leaders within the North American Jewish community.

Schmidt, along with three other individuals and a team of two people, accepted the award in a ceremony Monday afternoon at Avi Chai’s offices in New York City. The president of the Chabad on Campus International Foundation and director of the Lubavitch House of Philadelphia, Schmidt has been involved in Jewish outreach since before 1980, when he founded the Lubavitch House at the University of Pennsylvania.

“This is an incredible honor, as well as an incredible opportunity for the Jewish community,” Schmidt announced in receiving the award, an annual $75,000 allotment to programs of recipients’ choosing. “I’d like to thank the Almighty for His immense blessing in allowing me to reach this important milestone, and for the gift of serving the Jewish community as an emissary of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of righteous memory, for the last 28 years.”

The recipients, all pioneers in Jewish education and communal activism, were chosen based on their ability to “see opportunities where others see obstacles,” explained Arthur Fried, chairman of the Avi Chai Foundation.

Article continued (Chabad.org News)