Shira Ruderman | |
|---|---|
 Shira Ruderman | |
| Born | Shira Menashe November 10, 1978 Israel |
| Occupation(s) | Activist and philanthropist |
| Spouse | |
| Website | Official website |
Shira Menashe Ruderman (born November 10, 1978) is an Israeli-American activist and philanthropist. Ruderman is the executive director of the Ruderman Family Foundation. [1]
Shira Ruderman was born in Rishon LeZion, Israel. One of her brothers is Shalev Menashe, a professional Israeli soccer player. During her service in the Israel Defense Forces Shira served as an Arabic-language instructor. She has an undergraduate degree in education and a graduate degree in public policy, both from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
In 2013 Ruderman announced her candidacy for the mayorship of Rehovot. [2] She pulled out of the race a few months later. [3]
Ruderman lives in Boston, Massachusetts with her husband, Jay Ruderman and their four children.
In 2002 Ruderman founded the Ruderman Family Foundation in Boston, along with her husband Jay. In 2006 they opened their Israel office in order to advance social investments. Through the Foundation, Ruderman focuses her work in two main fields: disability inclusion and strengthening the relationship between Israel and the American Jewish community. [4]
Asked about whether gender affects her work, Ruderman stated: "There were moments over the years when being a woman created challenges for me. Walking into a room of executives or decision-makers and being the only woman can be exhausting at times. You constantly need to prove yourself. But I don’t regret those experiences at all. I think those moments made me stronger and more assertive." [5]
In 2014 she led the Morton E. Ruderman Award in Inclusion, named after her late father in-law. Since its inauguration, it has been awarded to former Senator Tom Harkin (2016), [6] Academy Award winning actress Marlee Matlin (2017), [7] Olympic Medalist Michael Phelps (2018), [8] the Farrelly brothers (2019) [9] and Taraji P. Hanson. [10] Additionally, Ruderman has led efforts to increase the authentic representation of people with disabilities in the entire entertainment industry, working with the Sundance Film Festival, [11] creating the Ruderman 'Seal of Approval' for authentic representation, [12] [13] and more. [14] In 2017 Ruderman established the LINK20 social network, training and promoting social activists with and without disabilities through partnerships with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and other leading institutions. [15]
In 2011 Ruderman began taking groups of Israeli Knesset Members to the United States for educational tours. The groups have included politicians from different political parties, including Tzipi Livni, Yoav Kisch [16] Amir Ochana and Rachel Azaria. [17] In 2012 Ruderman partnered with a number of Knesset Members, led by Ronit Tirosh, [18] to establish a Knesset Caucus to promote Israel's relationship with the American Jewish Community. [19] In 2013 Ruderman initiated a similar mission for journalists. [20]
In 2013 Ruderman partnered with the University of Haifa to open the first graduate program for American Jewish studies in Israeli academia. [21] [22]
In 2020 Ruderman initiated the 'Civil Forum' along with President of Israel Reuven Rivlin, with the goal of connecting Israelis and American Jews from various disciplines and backgrounds. The inaugural event was held in February 2020, featuring Israel Prize recipient Miriam Peretz, Olympic medalist Arik Ze'evi, Justice Elyakim Rubinstein, award-winning author Nicole Kruass, Harvard President Professor Lawrence Bacow and others. [23]
In 2023, Ruderman was among the initiators of the 'Memorial Initiative' to commemorate Diaspora Jews who are not citizens of Israel and who lost their lives in antisemitic attacks. This was done through the creation of the 'Ruderman Roadmap’ which laid out the outlines for promoting the initiative, in collaboration with the Ministry of the Diaspora Affairs and Combatting Antisemitism and the World Zionist Organization, and which was implemented by the Israeli government on May 7, 2023. [24]
Aliyah is the immigration of Jews from the diaspora to, historically, the geographical Land of Israel or the Palestine region, which is today chiefly represented by the State of Israel. Traditionally described as "the act of going up", moving to the Land of Israel or "making aliyah" is one of the most basic tenets of Zionism. The opposite action—emigration by Jews from the Land of Israel—is referred to in the Hebrew language as yerida. The Law of Return that was passed by the Israeli parliament in 1950 gives all diaspora Jews, as well as their children and grandchildren, the right to relocate to Israel and acquire Israeli citizenship on the basis of connecting to their Jewish identity.
Amram Mitzna is an Israeli politician and former general in the IDF. He is a former mayor of Haifa (1993–2003) and Yeruham (2005–2010) and led the Labor Party from 2002 to 2003. In 2012 he joined Hatnuah.
Yair Lapid is an Israeli politician and former journalist who has been the Leader of the Opposition since January 2023, having previously served in that role from 2020 to 2021. He served as the 14th Prime Minister of Israel from 1 July to 29 December 2022. He previously served as the Alternate Prime Minister of Israel and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2021 to 2022. Lapid is the chairman of the centrist Yesh Atid party, and Minister of Finance from 2013 to 2014.
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Ono Academic College is a private college located in Kiryat Ono, Israel with over 18,000 students. With its vision of bridging economic and cultural gaps in Israeli society, the college attracts Druze, Bedouin, Palestinians, Ethiopian-Israelis, ultra-Orthodox Jews, and special needs students.
Tzipi Hotovely is an Israeli diplomat and former politician who serves as the current Ambassador of Israel to the United Kingdom. She served as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Diaspora Affairs, Minister of Settlement Affairs, and as a member of the Knesset for the Likud party.
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Jay Seth Ruderman is an American lawyer, disability rights activist and philanthropist. He is the president of the Ruderman Family Foundation.
The Ruderman Family Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation established in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, managed by the Ruderman family. The foundation operates in the US and in Israel in two main areas: inclusion of people with disabilities in society and strengthening the relationship between Israel and the American Jewish community with the help of strategic philanthropy.
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