Bryan Schwartz: Raising Funds to Keep India’s Bnei Menashe Jews from Starving Because of the Pandemic
Bryan Schwartz is an Oakland, California–based attorney who specializes in civil rights…
Fraidy Reiss: Activist Against Arranged Marriage, Forced Marriage, and Child Marriage
Fraidy Reiss was raised in an Ultra-Orthodox Jewish family in Brooklyn N.Y. At age 19 she was wed through an arranged marriage; her husband turned out to be extremely abusive. In 2011, Reiss founded the nonprofit organization Unchained At Last to support women and girls who want to leave arranged marriages, forced marriages, and child…
# Denis Goldberg: Nelson Mandela Comrade and Anti-Apartheid Activist Dies at 87
Denis Goldberg, a longtime comrade of Nelson Mandela and a prominent figure in the struggle against apartheid, passed away at age 87 at the end of April 2020. He was imprisoned for 22 years for his activities against the apartheid regime. After his release in 1985, he moved to London and then back to South…
David Katz: Keeping Plastic Waste Out of the Oceans While Alleviating Poverty
David Katz is an environmentalist and entrepreneur who co-founded and is CEO of Plastic Bank, an innovative program designed to reduce the amount of plastic trash that finds its way into the planet’s oceans. At the same time, it helps alleviate the poverty in extremely poor countries. The company, which is headquartered in Vancouver, British…
RBG Wins $1 Million Prize for Her Longtime Championing of Human Rights
In October 2019, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was awarded the prestigious Berggruen Prize for her longtime advocacy of human rights. The prize comes with $1 million in award money, which goes to a philanthropic organization of Justice Ginsburg’s choosing. The 86-year-old Ginsburg — soon to turn 87 — has been a jurist…
Mike Medicoff: Helping the Environment One Toothpaste Tube at a Time
When the topic of environmental pollution comes up, used toothpaste tubes generally…
Andrew Levy: Realtor Pays School Lunch Debts So Students Can Have Hot Meals
Andrew Levy, a realtor in South Florida, recently paid off the school lunch debts of more than 400 students in nine schools in the town of Jupiter. Without his contribution of nearly $1,000, those youngsters would only receive cold sandwiches instead of nutritious hot meals. Levy plans to make this an ongoing effort. Quotes:…
Ady Barkan: Progressive Activist with ALS Who Founded the Be a Hero PAC
Ady Barkan, 35, has been called “the most powerful activist in America.” In 2016, he was diagnosed with the debilitating and ultimately fatal disease ALS. Since then he’s dedicated himself to fighting for progressive healthcare and other causes. Barkan founded the Be a Hero PAC and helped organize the Center for Popular Democracy. Sadly, his…
Joel Berg: Leading Advocate for Ending Hunger in America
Joel Berg, CEO of the organization Hunger Free America, is “a nationally recognized leader and media spokesman in the fields of domestic hunger, food security, obesity, poverty, food-related economic development, national service, and volunteerism.” Berg is author of the books All You Can Eat: How Hungry Is America? and America We Need to Talk: A…
Yaron Schwarcz: How We Can Create a World Without ‘Houselessness’
Israeli serial entrepreneur Yaron Schwarcz believes 3-D printing and robotic construction…
To learn about these and many more AmazingJews, watch a compilation put together by JewOfTheWeek.net in 2015 and posted on YouTube.