Seven Outstanding Students Recognized by Rose Ruderman Scholarship Award

June 24, 2014 / 0 Comments

By: Dan Seligson

Seven exceptional students from Boston-area Orthodox Jewish schools received an award for their outstanding scholarship as well as their reliability, commitment to community building and kindness.

The Rose Ruderman Scholars Award, now in its fifth year, is presented annually by the Ruderman Family Foundation and Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP) in remembrance of Rose. The award grew out of a 10-year effort to boost Orthodox Jewish school education by the Ruderman family, who first established a need-based scholarship endowment in Rose’s name in 1999.

The $1,000 Scholarship Award is given to one student in the highest grade of each area Orthodox Jewish school.

Sharon Shapiro, Rose’s granddaughter, hosted the reception at her family’s home in Brookline. She said the students who received the award this year best represented the selfless and humble but extraordinary contributions of Rose Ruderman, who died in 1994.

“The seven being recognized today were chosen by your schools based on the best qualities our grandmother possessed all her life,” Shapiro said.

The award recipients are: Chava Rivka Dovek, Bais Yaakov of Boston; Moshe Wagner, Mesivta High School; David Davydov, New England Hebrew Academy; Liel Shkap, Shaloh House Day School; Aviel Taube, Striar Hebrew Academy of Sharon; Tzipora Brocha Pichey, Torah Academy; and Evette Ronner, Maimonides School.

Alan Oliff, who directs CJP’s Initiative for Day School Excellence, said Rose would have been proud of all of the students who received the award given in her name.

“They’re going to contribute to the world and they’re going to change the world,” he said. “These students exemplify the values that Rose embodied.”

2014 Rose Ruderman Scholarship Award Winners. Top row (L-R): Evette Ronner, Chava Rivka Dovek, Tzipora Brocha Pichey, Liel Shkap, Aviel Taube, David Davydov, Moshe Wagner
Bottom row (L-R): Sharon Shapiro (Foundation Trustee and Director of the Boston office), Myrna Lipsky, Marcia Ruderman (founder of the foundation)
(credit: Ilene Perlman)