NEW YORK (Press Release) — The Genesis Prize Foundation, the operating entity for the Genesis Prize, announced Wednesday, April 17, that Wayne L. Firestone has been named its President. The annual $1 million Genesis Prize will be awarded to an accomplished, internationally renowned individual from anywhere in the world who is a role model in his/her community and who can inspire the younger generation of Jews worldwide. The inaugural Genesis Prize will be awarded in the spring of 2014 in Jerusalem by the Prime Minister of Israel. Firestone assumes his post on April 29th.
Firestone brings eight years of experience as the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Hillel, the largest global Jewish student and emerging adult organization serving campus foundations and affiliates at more than 400 universities in ten countries. Prior to the Hillel post, he was the founding Executive Director of the Israel on Campus Coalition, and oversaw the broad coalition of national Jewish organizations to advance pro-Israel standing on college campuses. Firestone was also a founding director of the Project Judaica Foundation in Washington, DC, designed to preserve, rehabilitate, exhibit and disseminate all forms of Judaic culture.
“Wayne brings invaluable experience working with and understanding the next generation of Jews, helping to advance their identity and affiliation with our rich tradition and heritage,” said Stan Polovets, Chairman of the Board of the Genesis Prize Foundation and CEO of the Genesis Philanthropy Group, which has endowed the Prize in perpetuity.
In his role, Firestone will work with a prestigious selection committee of judges that includes Elie Wiesel and Natan Sharansky set to announce the laureate in the fall of 2013. Firestone will also initiate a global campaign targeting young Jews in their 20s and 30s, providing inspiration and a historical and cultural connection to the next generation of leaders.
Chairman of the Genesis Prize Advisory Board and former President of Brandeis University, Professor Jehuda Reinharz said, “Wayne’s visionary leadership has inspired and empowered thousands of young Jews around the world to be partners in a prideful Jewish future.”
“Building on the legacy of Einstein, Chagall and Brandeis, we are excited to introduce new Jewish role models to the next generation. The Jewish narrative of accomplishment in all fields that benefit humanity is well worth illuminating and celebrating,” Firestone said.
Firestone has been named twice to the “Forward 50” and the New York Jewish Week’s “Jews to Watch.” He is a member of the Repair the World Leadership Council, as well as the Aspen Institute’s Inclusive America Project. A graduate of the University of Miami, Firestone earned his Juris Doctorate from the Georgetown University Law Center and was a Harry S Truman Presidential Scholar and Phi Beta Kappa.
To learn more about the Genesis Prize Foundation, please visit www.genesisprize.org.
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Preceding provided by the Genesis Prize Foundation