Jay Seth Ruderman (born March 16, 1966) is an American lawyer,

disability rights The disability rights movement is a global social movement that seeks to secure equal opportunities and equal rights for all disabled people. It is made up of organizations of disability activists, also known as disability advocates, around ...

activist and philanthropist. He is the president of the Ruderman Family Foundation.

Early life and education

Jay Seth Ruderman was born in Boston to Marcia and Morton Ruderman, the eldest of three children. Ruderman's father was a founder of Meditech. He was raised in a traditional Jewish home to

Zionist Zionism is an Ethnic nationalism, ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in History of Europe#From revolution to imperialism (1789–1914), Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the ...

parents. He visited Israel for the first time at the age of 13, as a gift for his bar-mitzvah. He attended public schools in Lynnfield, Massachusetts, and received his undergraduate degree in 1988 from

Brandeis University Brandeis University () is a Private university, private research university in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. It is located within the Greater Boston area. Founded in 1948 as a nonsectarian, non-sectarian, coeducational university, Bra ...

, where he served as president of the student body in 1986–1987. He earned his JD from Boston University School of Law in 1993. Ruderman is married to Israeli-American Shira Menashe Ruderman, who serves as executive director of the Ruderman Foundation. They live in the Greater Boston area and have four children.

Career

Ruderman began his career as

Assistant District Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represe ...

in Salem, MA and also worked as deputy director of AIPAC in

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

. In 2005, he enlisted in the Israeli Defense Forces and became the liaison between the IDF and Diaspora Jewry. After his service, he returned to AIPAC as Leadership Director in Israel before assuming a position at the Ruderman Family Foundation.

Activism

Ruderman is the president of the Ruderman Family Foundation, which advocates for

. The foundation's first major project was inclusion of people with disabilities within the Jewish community, in Jewish day schools, summer camps and

synagogues A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

. Ruderman also hosts the

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, "All About Change" (previously "All Inclusive"), which focuses on

social justice Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...

and inclusion. In 2014, the foundation expanded to the Hollywood entertainment industry, working for the inclusion of disabled characters in TV shows and

movies A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, since ...

, and advocating for those roles to be acted by people with disabilities. At the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...

in January 2020, Ruderman called for greater accessibility and the inclusion of people with disabilities and diversity. In March 2020, he sponsored an event to present

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and

Bobby Farrelly Robert Farrelly (born June 17, 1958) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. He is one of the Farrelly brothers, alongside his brother Peter, who together are known for directing and producing successful box-office comedy films ...

with an award for hiring actors with disabilities. He also worked with the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., with the stated goal of adva ...

to improve accessibility in the Oscars, being consulted in the

Academy Museum of Motion Pictures The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is a film museum opened in 2021 located in Los Angeles, California. The first large-scale museum of its kind in the United States, it houses more than 13 million objects, and is dedicated to the history, sc ...

' accessibility efforts as well as his advocacy resulting in the 2021 Oscars featuring its first integrated stage ramp and the 2024 Oscars including confidential accessibility requests for all attendees. Ruderman has also proposed such changes to the Israeli film industry. In December 2021, he convinced four major Israeli broadcasting corporations to improve civil rights within the entertainment industry for people with disabilities. In 2010, Ruderman partnered with the

American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee Advert Where and how does this article resemble an WP:SOAP, advert and how should it be improved? See: Wikipedia:Spam (you might trthe Teahouseif you have questions). American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, also known as Joint or JDC, is a J ...

and the Israeli government to fund inclusion for people with disabilities in Israel. This included programming to integrate people with disabilities into the work force, as well as support groups and independent living facilities. In 2023, Ruderman focused on antisemitic tropes within film and television by engaging Hollywood celebrities. Ruderman promotes the accurate and diverse portrayal of the Jewish people, with the goal of challenging misconceptions about their uniform appearance.

Philanthropy

Ruderman served on the

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of the National Organization on Disability. He sits on the

board of governors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulations ...

of the

University of Haifa The University of Haifa (, ) is a public research university located on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel. Founded in 1963 as a branch of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the University of Haifa received full academic accreditation as an inde ...

, the

, IMPACT-se, and is a member of the

Board of Trustees A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

. He was a member of the committee of the Jewish Agency for Israel.

Views and opinions on Israel

Ruderman has sought to strengthen the relationship between American Jewry and Israeli opinion leaders. While serving in the IDF and becoming the military's liaison with world Jewry, he came to hold the belief that there exists a substantial gap between Israelis and Americans, arguing "that whatever Americans think is not necessarily what Israelis think." Ruderman has additionally expressed disappointment over Israel's stance on egalitarian prayer at the

Western Wall The Western Wall (; ; Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: ''HaKosel HaMa'arovi'') is an ancient retaining wall of the built-up hill known to Jews and Christians as the Temple Mount of Jerusalem. Its most famous section, known by the same name ...

and 2020 comments by Israel's then

Minister of Education An education minister (sometimes minister of education) is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with educational matters. Where known, the government department, ministry, or agency that develops policy and deli ...

Rafi Peretz about the high rate of intermarriage among American Jews. Ruderman believes that the "doomsday talks" of an irreversible chasm between Israel and the American Jewish community are mistaken.

Awards and recognition

* One of the 50 most influential Jews of the year, ''

Jerusalem Post ''The Jerusalem Post'' is an English-language Israeli broadsheet newspaper based in Jerusalem, Israel, founded in 1932 during the British Mandate of Palestine by Gershon Agron as ''The Palestine Post''. In 1950, it changed its name to ''The Je ...

'' (2016, 2022) * Jacob Rader Marcus Award from the American Jewish Archives (2019) * Top 100 Most Influential Bostonians,

Boston Magazine ''Boston'' (also called "''Boston'' magazine" or referred to by the nickname "BoMag") is a regional monthly magazine concerning life in the Greater Boston area, which has been in publication since 1962. History Metrocorp Publishing, a Philade ...

(2021) * Lifetime Achievement Award, ''

'' (2022)

References

External links

"End the stigma of mental illness"
CNN
Why anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism are inextricably linked
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruderman, Jay 1966 births Living people Philanthropists from Massachusetts American disability rights activists Brandeis University alumni Boston University School of Law alumni 20th-century American Jews 21st-century American Jews