Holocaust educator is first Brit to win top prize for young philanthropists

The director of a foundation in London is the first British recipient of the JJ Greenberg Memorial Award from the Jewish Funders Network.

Amy Braier, director of the Pears Foundation, is the 15th recipient of the award honoring foundation professionals age 40 and under engaged in grantmaking who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership in Jewish philanthropy.

She accepted the award Thursday at the Jewish Funders Network conference in Tel Aviv. The award is named for an activist in Jewish outreach who was killed in a traffic accident at age 36.

Sir Trevor Pears, the foundation’s executive chair and trustee, said in a statement that Braier’s contribution to the foundation “is immeasurable. I am so glad it has been recognized in this way, as her quiet and humble manner means she rarely receives the accolades that she very much deserves.”

A graduate of the University of Cambridge, Braier has been director of the foundation since 2012. In addition to overseeing the foundation’s grantmaking and operations, she leads its Holocaust education and higher education work, helping to establish the University College London Centre for Holocaust Education, the Pears Institute for the Study of Antisemitism, and the UK Task Force on issues relating to Arab citizens of Israel.

https://twitter.com/AmyBraier/status/974185843853283328

The award was created and endowed by the family, friends and colleagues of Jonathan Joseph Greenberg following his untimely death in 2002. He was the son of the prominent Rabbi Irving “Yitz” Greenberg and educator Blu Greenberg.