Rose Lubin Jewish Pride Award Established
The Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life has established this award in honor of Rose Lubin, the fallen Lone Soldier from Dunwoody.
Sasha Heller is the Web Editor and Copy Editor for the Atlanta Jewish Times
The Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life has established a new award in honor of Sgt. Rose Lubin, the fallen Lone Soldier from Dunwoody, that recognizes Jewish community members who have displayed an extraordinary sense of Jewish pride.
The Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life announced that it will award $100,000 to an individual involved in the work of Jewish engagement and identity-building in North America, whose work specifically inspires or furthers Jewish pride. The award will be split between a $70,000 gift to the individual and a $30,000 grant to the program or organization they have created.
The Rose Lubin Jewish Pride Award is named in memory of the Atlanta native who fulfilled her dream of Aliyah, at age 18, as a combat-trained soldier specializing in fighting terrorism. Deployed with the Israeli Border Police, Sgt. Lubin was off duty on Oct. 7, 2023, when she bravely defended her host kibbutz and neighboring communities, helping injured victims to safety from near the Gaza border. Just weeks after the Hamas onslaught, Sgt. Lubin lost her life during a subsequent terrorist attack while guarding the Shalem police station near the Damascus Gate, one of the entrances to the Old City of Jerusalem.
“Strengthening Jewish pride and supporting a positive sense of belonging to the Jewish people is of critical importance for the future of this generation. We can think of no one who exemplifies Jewish pride more than Rose Lubin,” said Sara Bloom, vice chair of the Steinhardt Foundation.
Rabbi David Gedzelman, foundation president and CEO, explained where the original idea for the award came from and how it evolved upon news of Lubin being killed while on patrol.
“We at the Steinhardt Foundation had been planning this award for nearly a year and then, in the aftermath of Oct. 7 — upon hearing of the tragic death of Rose Lubin — the Steinhardt family was moved to name the award in her memory,” Rabbi Gedzelman said. “Rose, an Atlanta public school graduate who fulfilled her life’s dream of making Aliyah and protecting Israel, perfectly epitomized the Jewish pride this award is intended to recognize and encourage.”
The Rose Lubin Jewish Pride Award is a cash award intended to recognize and promote an individual whose work in Jewish life exemplifies leadership, innovation, and creativity through founding a program, initiative, or organization that champions the Pillars of Jewish Pride described in Michael Steinhardt’s 2022 book, “Jewish Pride.” By honoring individuals, organizations, and programs that exemplify these pillars, this award has the broader purpose of inspiring their adoption as central goals and aspirations throughout the Jewish world and of encouraging new initiatives based on these principles.
“We hope the award will create more interest among Jewish leaders and creatives to spearhead new programs and initiatives that aim to promote and celebrate the pillars of Jewish peoplehood, Jewish joy, and Jewish excellence as central to their mission and commitment to Jewish pride,” Gedzelman said. “Now, more than ever, we need to inspire in our young people a sense of fearlessness around being Jewish and we believe that these pillars are essential to nurturing the Jewish pride necessary for our young people to stand up strong and affirm their Jewishness … we believe this award will highlight the kinds of role models who will inspire commitment to these values and spur others to create programs that exhibit them,” Gedzelman said.
Individuals nominated for the Rose Lubin Jewish Pride Award must have created programs that exhibit and promote Jewish peoplehood, Jewish excellence, or Jewish joy and their initiatives must demonstrate measurable impact, scalability, and financial sustainability.
To nominate someone for the inaugural Rose Lubin Jewish Pride Award, please visit https://steinhardtfoundation.org/jewishprideaward. The award winner will be announced in September 2024.
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