About the JFR

During the Holocaust there were thousands of non-Jews who refused to be passive in the face of the evil they witnessed, rescuing Jews, often at risk to their own lives and the lives of their families. In 1986, Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis z”l established The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous (JFR) to fulfill the traditional Jewish commitment to hakarat hatov, the searching out and recognition of goodness. To this end, the JFR is committed to assisting those Righteous Gentiles who are in need. They are often reluctant to ask for help; they acted without expecting reward then or now. However, as Rabbi Schulweis realized, it is our duty to honor and support them.

The JFR started out funding eight rescuers, and that number quickly grew. Over the years, the JFR has provided monthly financial support to more than 3,600 Righteous Gentiles living in 34 countries. As the rescuers age and pass on, the number of rescuers receiving our support is declining; however, the JFR is committed to providing financial support until the rescuer passes away. The rescuers serve as moral and ethical exemplars for each of us.

The JFR preserves the memory and legacy of the rescuers through its national Holocaust education program. The goal of the program is to educate middle and high school teachers about the history of the Holocaust and to provide them with the resources to integrate this knowledge into their classrooms. As the rescuers pass away, as well as the Jewish Holocaust survivors they saved, the JFR’s Holocaust teacher education program takes on new urgency. Within a few years, there will not be any living eye witnesses left to what some consider to be one of the seminal events of the last century. The focus of the JFR will be on education and providing teachers with the tools and resources to address this complex and sensitive subject.

Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis passed away on December 18, 2014. May his memory be a blessing. Click here to view a sermon by Rabbi Elliot J. Cosgrove, Park Avenue Synagogue, New York City.‍

Our Board

The JFR’s Board of Trustees has been instrumental in the success of the Foundation. Under the leadership of its two previous Chairmans, Harvey Schulweis and E. Robert Goodkind, the Board has become an active group of business, civic, and lay leaders. Their energy and dedication make it possible for the Foundation to provide aid to so many Righteous Gentiles and to support teachers and through them to educate future generations.

Board of Trustees

Chairman/President

Steven Field, M.D.

Secretary - Treasurer

Mark A. Goldsmith, Esq.

Founding Chairman

Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis z”l‍

Chairman Emeritus

Harvey Schulweis z"l

Chairman Emeritus

E. Robert Goodkind, Esq.

Trustees‍

Abby Crisses

Debórah Dwork

Iris Katz

Hazel Shanken

Hannah Waldman

Executive Vice President

Stanlee J. Stahl

Our Staff

Stanlee J. Stahl

Executive Vice President

Stanlee J. Stahl has been the Executive Vice President of The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous since 1992. She earned her undergraduate degree in political science and history from Miami University in Ohio and has graduate degrees from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and New York University in New York City. Before joining the Foundation as its executive vice president, Stanlee establish Extra Helping, New Jersey's first prepared food transfer program. Prior to joining the JFR, Stanlee worked in the Department of Health and Human Services for twenty years. She also lived in Israel where she worked for Magen David Adom, Israel's Red Cross Society.

Dara Zadikow

Director of Development‍‍

Dara Zadikow received a Bachelor of the Arts from Hampshire College in 2006, a Master of the Arts in Media Studies from The New School University in 2010, and a Master of the Arts in Philosophy from the European Graduate School in 2010. Dara joined the JFR in 2007 and is the Director of Development.‍