Across North America, nonprofit professionals are reshaping Jewish life with creativity and heart. They are the educators, youth workers, artists, ritual facilitators, leaders, and relationship-builders whose dedication and far-reaching impact set them apart. Today, five of them will be thanked, loudly and publicly, on the Jewish professional world’s largest stage. 

 

Created by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, the Grinspoon Amber Awards honor exceptional professionals working in the Jewish community whose leadership and dedication have strengthened Jewish life in lasting ways. The annual program reflects founder Harold Grinspoon’s lifelong belief that strong, inspired professionals are vital to a vibrant Jewish future. 

 

Today at the GA, five outstanding professionals received the second annual Grinspoon Amber Award:
 

• Adina Frydman, CEO, Young Judaea Global, who has transformed the organization from a financially fragile nonprofit into a thriving, independent Zionist youth movement, expanding its camps, Israel programs and teen engagement while leading through the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing challenges facing Israel. (Westchester, NY)
• Avi Posen, Vice President of ConnectED, OpenDor Media, who has grown Unpacked for Educators at OpenDor Media into a global network serving more than 14,000 educators, equipping teachers and students to engage with Israel, antisemitism and Jewish identity with nuance, honesty and respect. (Memphis, TN)
• Rabbi David Rosenn, President & CEO, Hebrew Free Loan Society, who has nearly quadrupled the 130-year-old institution’s lending while maintaining a 99% repayment rate, turning it into a national model for interest-free lending, building on a career that began when he founded Avodah: The Jewish Service Corps. (New York, NY)
• Rabbi Charlie Schwartz, Founding Director, Lehrhaus, who has spent his career lowering the barriers to Jewish life, from creating PocketTorah to co-founding Lehrhaus, a Jewish tavern and house of learning that blends serious study with radical hospitality and will soon open a new location in Washington, D.C. (Boston, MA)
• Nico Slobinsky, Vice President, Pacific Region, Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) who has helped secure landmark gains for British Columbia’s Jewish community, from the endorsement of the IHRA definition of antisemitism and mandatory Holocaust education to $50 million in public investment for a new Jewish Community Centre. (Vancouver, BC)
   

Each 2026 Grinspoon Amber Awards recipient will receive a $10,000 prize and the opportunity to “pay it forward” by selecting two individuals they know whose work shapes Jewish life to receive Peer Recognition Grants of $2,500 each. This distinctive feature is intended to foster a ripple effect of gratitude, mentorship, and shared celebration across the Jewish communal field.  

 

“The Amber Awards serve as a reminder to recognize outstanding leadership at all levels, and honor it in a way that is both personal and public,” says Winnie Sandler Grinspoon, President, Harold Grinspoon Foundation. “This award, and everything it symbolizes, exists to affirm, celebrate and elevate the exceptional professionals whose contributions shape our collective future. We are so proud to honor these five outstanding professionals as a community.” 

 

The winners have each selected two individuals to receive Peer Recognition Grants:
 

• Adina Frydman: Vivian Lazar, Director, HaZamir: The International Jewish Teen Choir (New York, NY) & Lyn Light Geller, Associate Executive Director Community Resources, UJA-Federation NY (New York, NY)
• Avi Posen: Dr. Daniel Weiss, Head of School, Bornblum Jewish Community School (Memphis, TN) & Rabbi Dr. Gavriel Brown, Head of School, Margolin Hebrew Academy (Memphis, TN)
• Rabbi Charlie Schwartz: Dr. Yael Jaffe, Mashgicha Ruchanit & Talmud Department Chair, Maimonides School (Brookline, MA) & Alexandra Corwin, Executive Director, Ammud: The Jews of Color Academy (Chicago, IL)
• Rabbi David Rosenn: Sam Greenberg, Deputy Vice President for Marketing Communications, New Israel Fund (New York, NY) & Leah Greenblum, Founder & Executive Director, Jewish Free Loan of Chicago (Chicago, IL)
• Nico Slobinsky: Rabbi Dan Moskovitz, Senior Rabbi, Temple Sholom (Vancouver, BC) & Anat Gogo, Executive Director, Tikva Housing (Vancouver, BC)

 

“Jewish communal professionals are the backbone of our community—they build bridges, nurture connections, and ensure that Jewish life continues to thrive,” said Eric Fingerhut, President and CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America. “The Grinspoon Amber Awards highlight the extraordinary impact of these individuals, and we are delighted to partner with the Harold Grinspoon Foundation in supporting and elevating Jewish professionals for the second year. These awards truly reflect both organizations’ shared commitment to celebrating and supporting the professionals who sustain Jewish communal life, and it’s a wonderful way to close our gathering.”  

 

Know someone who’s making an outstanding, widely impactful contribution to Jewish communal life? Nominations for the 2027 Grinspoon Amber Awards will open on November 10, 2026 and extend through January 15, 2027. Eligible nominees will then be invited to apply. For details on eligibility and the nomination process, visit www.amberawards.org or email [email protected]. 

 

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About the Harold Grinspoon Foundation 

The Harold Grinspoon Foundation (HGF) envisions a future where everyone can meaningfully connect to Jewish life, culture, and community. HGF invests alongside our partners and donors to help create and sustain transformational experiences through several flagship programs: PJ Library, JCamp 180, and Life & Legacy. PJ Library sends more than 660,000 free Jewish children’s books to families around the globe every month. JCamp 180 supports more than 140 non-profit Jewish overnight and day camps to build their organizational effectiveness and long-term financial sustainability. Through Life & Legacy, HGF promotes endowment giving in Jewish communities and has helped secure $2.2B for a vibrant Jewish future. Learn more about HGF and its programs at hgf.org. 

 

About the Jewish Federations of North America 

The Jewish Federations of North America are the backbone of the organized Jewish community in the U.S. and Canada, representing more than 350 Jewish communities. They raise and distribute more than $2 billion annually through planned giving and endowment programs to build flourishing Jewish communities at home, in Israel, and around the world.