Stuart and Jane Weitzman and Sen. Richard Blumenthal with 11 of the 12 teens at the Greenwich Federation dinner.

GREENWICH – UJA Federation of Greenwich presented 12 teen philanthropists from the Greenwich High School Israel Club with the Weitzman Youth Award for Jewish Philanthropy at Federation’s annual gala held on Dec. 3.
Founded and managed by Jane and Stuart Weitzman, the award was inspired by the couple’s desire to nurture the next generation of Jewish philanthropists, and by their belief in the Jewish value, “Kol Yisrael arevim zeh la’zeh,” all Jews are responsible for one another.
The award is presented annually to Greenwich residents in 5th through 12th grades who exhibit creativity and personal commitment to Jewish philanthropy.
This year’s recipients included Joshua Genn, Isa Goldberg, Connor Hegarty, Julia Jandrisits, Jonathan Kerbs, Jonathan Muhlrad, Graham Perry, Douglas Saper, Robert Saper, Samuel Savitz, Jacob Segal, and Michelle Socher. Ten members of the group took part in a youth leadership mission to Israel over February break, sponsored by UJA Federation of Greenwich.
The teens cite a range of personal motivations for taking part in the Israel Club’s philanthropic activities. After participating in the community-service aspect of the February Israel mission, Joshua Genn says, “I have decided that this will be a focus in my life.” Isa Goldberg donated all of her bat-mitzvah money to Yemin Orde Youth Village, a home for displaced children in northern Israel where the group spent a day visiting with residents.
Connor Hegarty, who is not Jewish, wrote an essay for the Greenwich Time after returning from Israel. “Going to Israel popped the bubble I have lived in because I met people and learned about the hardships they faced every day,” he says. “But, more importantly, going to Israel made me realize that money isn’t everything as is so often made into fact in this town. In Israel I met some of the happiest people I have ever met, and they lived in some of poorest parts of the world I have seen, and they faced challenges every day that I have never dreamed of having to face. I always knew in the back of my mind that areas of the world were war zones, and that people’s homes really do get burned down along with miles upon miles of forest. But not until I experienced it myself did I understand how much of an effect such events have on people. Meeting kids who lost their homes, twice, and who came from across the world made me realize that Greenwich is fake, and that living here is great, but that in a way it makes me fake, too, because I have no true understanding of what life is really like.”
Julia Jandrisits, club co-president, describes her Israel experience as “life-changing, something I will never forget.” John Kerbs helped raise money for UJA Federation of Greenwich during the Israel Club phone-a-thon. Jonathan Muhlrad plans to return to Israel as a volunteer. Graham Perry helped raise money for victims of the 2010 Carmel Forest fire. Since returning from Israel, Doug Saper has become involved with J-Teen Leadership, a national development initiative, with whom he recently travelled to Havana, Cuba. Robert Saper served as host brother to UJA Federation of Greenwich Israeli Young Emissary Aner Shofty (2010-11), and helped raise money for UJA Federation. “These two experiences opened me up to the Jewish community around me in a way I did not expect,” he says.
Since the February mission, Jacob Segal has become more involved in the Jewish community and participated in the April AIPAC Teen Summit in Washington, D.C. Israel Club co-president Michelle Socher has been an active voice in speaking up for Israel. “Because of the trip, I have gained a deeper understanding of the politics in the region,” she says. “This will be very useful when I go off to college next year.”