Moishe House has been awarded the Jerusalem Unity Prize in the international category for its worldwide success in engaging Jewish young adults in meaningful ways and empowering them to create their own vibrant communities.
Through a global system of interconnected programs, the Moishe House model ensures that Jewish young adults are equipped and inspired to create Jewish homes and access Jewish events every day of the week.
Moishe House is a global network connecting more than 65,000 Jewish young adults in more than 25 countries with 11,000-plus programs through Moishe Houses, Moishe House Without Walls, Immersive Jewish Learning Retreats, Camp Nai Nai Nai and the Open Dor Project.
The Jerusalem Prize for Unity is given to individuals, organizations and initiatives in Israel and throughout the Jewish world whose actions are instrumental in advancing mutual respect for others among the Jewish people, during crises and in daily life.
A special public committee selected the winners.
The committee included former Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat; the chairman of the award committee, Kobi Oz; Brig. Gen. (res.) Amal Assad; Ruth Calderon, Noam Lautman, David Menachem, Michal Shalem, Shay Doron, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, Isaac “Bougie” Herzog, Natan Sharansky and the families of teenagers Eyal Yifrach, Gilad Shaar and Naftali Fraenkel.
The prize was created to memorialize Yifrach, Shaar and Fraenkel after they were murdered by Palestinian terrorists in the summer of 2014.
“I welcome this year’s winners, who constitute a diverse and unifying mix of Israeli society and Diaspora Jewry,” said Barkat, who initiated the Unity Prize. “The spirit of the three boys and their families inspires us and sets before us the importance of finding the common denominator of the Jewish people, even when there are disagreements.”
The prizes will be awarded in a special ceremony at the Israeli president’s residence in Jerusalem on June 5, Global Jewish Unity Day.