John S. Ruskay

John S. Ruskay, PhD (born August 3, 1946), is Executive Vice President emeritus of UJA-Federation of New York, a member of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, and a senior partner of JRB Consulting Services. Dr. Ruskay is a well-known author and lecturer on issues affecting the Jewish people.[1]

Biography

Now in his fourth decade of leadership in the North American Jewish Community, Dr. Ruskay was a senior professional at UJA-Federation for 22 years beginning in 1993, the last 15 (1999-2014) as Executive Vice President and CEO.[2] He called for the Federation to become a creative resource for the creation of “inspired and caring communities” which can engage Jews on the basis of providing meaning, purpose and community, and forged bold initiatives to realize that vision.[3]

Prior to UJA-Federation, Dr. Ruskay held senior leadership positons including Vice Chancellor, The Jewish Theological Seminary of America (1985-1993); and Education Director, the 92nd Street YM-YWHA (1980-1985). He also chaired the Publication Committee of the Journal of Jewish Communal Service and the Professional Advisory Committee of the Brandeis University Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program (2001–2007). Ruskay was a founding member of the controversial organization Breira (1972–1977), which took a left-wing position on Israeli-Palestinian political issues.[4]

On December 8, 2009, John Ruskay’s tenth anniversary as executive vice president & CEO of UJA-Federation was commemorated with a panel discussion about the organization’s work of the last decade.[5] Updating his 1999 inaugural address, Dr. Ruskay delivered a speech titled “Living Lives of Sacred Responsibility” in which he articulated four issues that require UJA-Federation’s attention moving forward: 1) the affordability of Jewish life; 2) connecting the work of human service agencies to Jewish day schools, Hillels, and community centers; 3) reviewing the organization’s future role in Israel; and 4) differentiating Israel advocacy and Israel education.[6]

In 2014, Dr. Ruskay and Robin Bernstein created JRB Consulting Services LLC, which provides strategic consulting and coaching for a range of nonprofits. Clients have included UJA-Federation of New York, the Educational Alliance, the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace, the Jewish People Policy Planning Institute, Innovation Africa, the Yale Center for Social and Emotional Learning, Birthright Israel Foundation, among others. Prior to 2014, Dr. Ruskay served as a consultant to several of the major American Jewish foundations including the Wexner Foundation (1986-1998) and the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies (1985-1996).

In May 2016, President Barack Obama appointed Dr. Ruskay to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an independent federal body created by a 1998 Act of Congress reporting to the President, Secretary of State, and Congress.

Dr. Ruskay lives in New York with his wife Robin Bernstein, who served as CEO of the Educational Alliance from l999-2014. They have five children and eight grandchildren.

Education

Ruskay earned his BA Cum Laude from the University of Pittsburgh (1968) majoring in European History, and his MA (1972) and Phd (1977) in Political Science from Columbia University, with a specialization in Middle East Politics. His masters essay was a study of Bi-Nationalism during the British Mandate in Palestine. His dissertation was entitled “Non Institutional Mass Political Participation: The Role of Voluntary Groups in the Egyptian Revolution of l919.”

Honors

Dr. Ruskay is widely recognized as an outstanding professional leader of the American Jewish Community. He has received numerous honors including honorary doctorate degrees from Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership (2011),[7] the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (2011); Hebrew Union College (2013),[8] Yeshiva University (2014), and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (2016).[9] He also received the Bernard Riesman Award for Professional Excellence from Brandeis University (1995) and the Mandelkorn Distinguished Service Award[10] from the Jewish Communal Service Association of North America (2003)

Volunteer Roles

Dr. Ruskay has also served in a range of community volunteer roles including:

Articles and Speeches

Dr. Ruskay has written extensively and speaks nationally on how the American Jewish community can most effectively respond to the challenges and opportunities of living in an open society, the role of Jewish philanthropy, and the central role of community.

References

  1. ↑ partners.guidstar.org
  2. ↑ "UJA Federation".
  3. ↑ "The Jewish Week | Connecting the World to Jewish News, Culture, and Opinion". The Jewish Week | Connecting The World To Jewish News, Culture & Opinion. 2015-04-29. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
  4. ↑ Jewish People Policy Institute Fellows, John Ruskay biography
  5. ↑ The Jewish Week
  6. ↑ ejewishphilanthropy.org
  7. ↑ "First Pittsburgh cohort graduates from MAJPS program". Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
  8. ↑ "John Ruskay Presents 2013 Bamberger Lecture and Receives Honorary Doctorate from HUC-JIR - Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion". huc.edu. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
  9. ↑ "Graduation 2016". RRC. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
  10. ↑ "Ben Mandelkorn Award | JPRO.ORG". jpro.org. Retrieved 2016-10-13.

External links

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