Jay Ruderman
Jay Ruderman (April 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.

Biography

Jay Ruderman was born in Boston to Marcia and Morton E. Ruderman, the eldest of three children.[1] Ruderman's father was a founder of Meditech.[2] Ruderman attended public schools in Lynnfield, Massachusetts, and received his undergraduate degree in 1988 from Brandeis University,[3] where he served as president of the student body in 1986–1987. He earned his JD from Boston University School of Law in 1993.[4]

Ruderman is married to Israeli-American Shira Menashe Ruderman, who serves as executive director of the Ruderman Foundation.[5] Ruderman met Shira while living in Israel and attending an ulpan where she was teaching.[6] Ruderman lives in the Greater Boston area and has four children.[7]

Ruderman began his career as Assistant District Attorney in Salem, MA and also worked as deputy director of AIPAC before enlisting in the Israeli Defense Forces. He then went back to AIPAC as Leadership Director in Israel before assuming a position at the Ruderman Family Foundation.[8]

In addition, Ruderman served on the board of directors of the National Organization on Disability.[9] He sits on the board of governors of the University of Haifa,[10] the Jewish Agency for Israel[11] and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee,[12] and is a member of Brandeis University Board of Trustees.[13]

Disability rights activism

Ruderman is the president of the Ruderman Family Foundation, which lobbies for disability rights. According to Ruderman, the Foundation's first major project was to promote the inclusion of children with disabilities in Jewish day schools.[14] The foundation has also focused its attention on the Hollywood entertainment industry, working for the inclusion of disabled characters in shows and movies and advocating for those roles to be acted by people with disabilities. Ruderman has also proposed such changes in the Israeli film industry. In December 2021, he convinced four of Israel’s five major television broadcasting and production companies to sign the Foundation’s pledge to audition actors with disabilities and commit to a more inclusive selection process for all jobs in the film industry, on and off screen.[15]

Media career

In his podcast "All Inclusive," Ruderman interviews individuals he sees as inspiring and changing the world. Guests have included Fran Drescher,[16] Deborah Lipstadt[17] and Abe Foxman.[18]

Views and opinions

Ruderman has sought to strengthen the relationship between American Jewry and Israeli opinion leaders.[19] He has expressed disappointment over Israel's stance on egalitarian prayer at the Western Wall[20] and comments by Israel's Minister of Education about the high rate of intermarriage among American Jews.[21] Ruderman believes that the "doomsday talks" of an irreversible chasm between Israel and the American Jewish community are mistaken. [22]

Ruderman is critical of the portrayal of disability in certain films, among them Me Before You, where the paralyzed protagonist commits suicide because he feels his life is not worth living. Ruderman stated: "To the millions of people with significant disabilities currently leading fulfilling, rich lives, it posits that they are better off committing suicide."[23][24] Ruderman feels it is problematic for a non-disabled actor to play a character with a disability.[25]

Awards and recognition

In September 2022, Ruderman and his wife were awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by The Jerusalem Post for their long-standing work in promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities and strengthening the relationship between Israel and American Jewry.[26][27]

In 2016, Ruderman was named by The Jerusalem Post as one of the 50 most influential Jews of the year.[28] He won this award again in 2022.[29]

In 2021, Ruderman was named one of the top 100 Most Influential Bostonians by Boston Magazine.[30]

References

  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. ^ "Jay Ruderman '88 – Commencement – Brandeis University". www.brandeis.edu. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  4. ^ "Class of 1993 – School of Law". www.bu.edu. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  5. ^ "Jerusalem Post 50 Most Influential Jews: Number 46 – Jay and Shira Ruderman". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com.
  6. ^ "Small Family Foundation, Large Global Impact". November 6, 2014.
  7. ^ Linde, Steve (September 29, 2016). "Jerusalem Post 50 Most Influential Jews: Number 46". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  8. ^ "Jay Ruderman – NCFP". February 15, 2019. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
  9. ^ "Our Board". National Organization on Disability. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  10. ^ "Mrs. Shira and Mr. Jay Ruderman (Israel/USA), Philanthropists". bogcms.haifa.ac.il. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  11. ^ "Members Of The Assembly Serving On BOG Committees". The Jewish Agency. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  12. ^ "Officers & Board Members". JDC. December 26, 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  13. ^ "Leadership & Trustees | Brandeis University". www.brandeis.edu/.
  14. ^ "How the Rudermans helped bring disability awareness to the Oscars". Jewish Insider. February 10, 2020.
  15. ^ Jay and Shira Ruderman: Jews combining philanthropy and advocacy, Jerusalem Post
  16. ^ "Fran Drescher discusses keeping 'The Nanny' character Jewish". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com.
  17. ^ "Singling Out Israel for Criticism is Antisemitism, Deborah Lipstadt Affirms". JNS.org.
  18. ^ "President Biden 'putting genie back in bottle' on growing antisemitism under Trump, former ADL chief claims". JNS.org.
  19. ^ Ahren, Raphael. "Joe Lieberman: US-Israel relations about to become 'very productive'". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  20. ^ "Major US Jewish philanthropists decry Western Wall backtrack, conversion bill". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  21. ^ "Israel's education minister: Intermarriage among US Jews 'like second Holocaust'". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  22. ^ "Love for Israel Survives a Decade of Discord". jewishweek.timesofisrael.com. February 5, 2020. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  23. ^ "'Me Before You' director responds to controversy over film's ending". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  24. ^ "The director of Me Before You is #sorrynotsorry about its controversial ending". Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  25. ^ "Why are we OK with disability drag in Hollywood?". Los Angeles Times. July 11, 2016. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  26. ^ "Jay and Shira Ruderman receive Jerusalem Post Lifetime Achievement Award". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  27. ^ פרס מפעל חיים של הג'רוזלם פוסט 2022 הוענק לג'יי ושירה רודרמן, retrieved September 15, 2022
  28. ^ "Jerusalem Post 50 Most Influential Jews: Number 46 – Jay and Shira Ruderman – TRENDING STORIES – Jerusalem Post". www.jpost.com. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  29. ^ "Jay and Shira Ruderman: Jews combining philanthropy and advocacy". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  30. ^ "The 100 Most Influential Bostonians". April 27, 2021.
  31. ^ "Jay, Shira Ruderman" (PDF). University of Haifa. June 2, 2015.
  32. ^ "Jay Ruderman ('93) to Receive an Honorary Degree from Brandeis University – School of Law". www.bu.edu. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  33. ^ Green, Suzanne (September 19, 2019). "Jay and Shira Ruderman receive Jacob Rader Marcus Award". Jewish Journal. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  34. ^ "Media Access Awards to Honor 'The Good Doctor,' 'The Peanut Butter Falcon' and Nyle DiMarco (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. November 5, 2019. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
  35. ^ "BOST June 22 Page 108". digital.modernluxury.com. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
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