The Grinspoon Amber Awards, established in 2024, recognize and celebrate five individuals annually who have made outstanding contributions to Jewish communal life. Recently at the Jewish Federations of North America General Assembly, the Harold Grinspoon Foundation recognized the award’s inaugural winners: Rabbi Ana Bonnheim, Jeremy Burton, Jonathan Falk, Elana Frank, and Michelle Koplan.
Now, as of January 1, 2026, nominations are open for the 2026 Grinspoon Amber Awards. The nomination window will remain open until February 28, 2026.
Each 2026 Grinspoon Amber Awards recipient will receive a $10,000 prize and the opportunity to “pay it forward” by selecting two individuals doing impactful work in Jewish life to receive Peer Recognition Grants of $2,500 each. This distinctive feature of the award is intended to foster a ripple effect of gratitude, mentorship, and shared celebration across the Jewish communal field.
Learn more about the 2026 nomination criteria and nominate an outstanding Jewish communal professional here.
In honor of the open nomination window, the Harold Grinspoon Foundation is running a series of Q&A’s with the 2025 winners, continuing with Jeremy Burton.
Jeremy Burton is the CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston (JCRC), promoting a society that reflects the best of American and Jewish values, in Greater Boston, Israel, and around the world. Through advocacy, organizing, service, and partnerships, JCRC pursues social justice, ensures a vibrant Jewish community, and builds a network of support for Israel.
What was your first reaction when you learned you were nominated for a Grinspoon Amber Award?
Humbled. Surprised – only because I was at the General Assembly when Winnie announced the awards. I remember thinking, “this is a lovely idea, and there are so many incredible professionals in our field who I respect.” It must have been a truly difficult decision to narrow it down and choose the winners. So to even be singled out to be nominated, was incredibly humbling.
I have been very invested in the field of Jewish communal service; I’ve been doing this work a long time. I have a lot of colleagues I respect. And we all know – you don’t go into this work for accolades. So to be recognized is truly an honor. But it’s even more of an honor for the field. Jewish communal services – and the people in them– don't always get the recognition or respect that is merited. This award is so, so good for the field.
The mission of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation is to connect people to Jewish values, faith, traditions, and culture, and build a vibrant Jewish community. Can you react to that Vision? How does this Mission resonate for you, your work, and your life?
Building vibrant Jewish community is central to JCRC's mission – in Boston, in Israel, and around the world. Our contribution to that work is determining what we need from our civic leaders in Massachusetts, and our partners in Boston, on Beacon Hill, so we can build vibrant Jewish space and create vibrant Jewish living.
On the day-to-day basis, sometimes it feels like I'm dealing with some of the hard, difficult, dark stuff, like, how our state government is dealing with hate crimes and enforcement. It’s working on institutional hardening for Jewish buildings through non-profit security grants. It’s not necessarily fun or easy things to think about.
But the essence of the work is about ensuring that Jewish communities feel welcome and valued by the surrounding communities here in Massachusetts. And that Jewish people are safe and feel comfortable, welcomed, and can show up in Jewish spaces and live vibrant Jewish lives.
One component of this award is the Peer Recognition Grant. You were able to select two individuals to whom you could “pay it forward” with gifts of $2,500 each. Can you share about the people you're choosing and why?
The two things that were important to convey through these nominations for me is that the field of community relations is deep and talented across the country – and that we are also blessed here in Massachusetts to have many great, talented Jewish professionals who lead with authenticity and values.
So the first person is Dan Goldwyn, who is Chief of Public Affairs at the Jewish United Fund, which is the Chicago Federation. And Dan is someone that I have so much respect for, someone who I feel like I have learned from about the practice of community relations. He's genuinely a leader and an anchor across the country for people who do community relations professionally, whether it’s in federation public affairs or in independent CRC’s.
The second is Dara Kaufman, who is the Director of the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires, a local part of our network as a partner agency. She is such a thoughtful, skilled leader in a smaller community. Frankly, I think smaller communities often get overlooked in some of these national spaces. But Dara is respected both across the Massachusetts Jewish communal professional space and in the state house in Boston. She carries, nurtures, and supports so many different partners and community leaders.
What is an accomplishment that you're truly proud of?
One of the things I'm most proud of is the approach JCRC has taken to put our support for a shared society between Israelis and Palestinians at the center of our organization. We call this Boston Partners for Peace.
I think it's too simple to just say “we support a vibrant state of Israel and its future as a Jewish and Democratic state.” It actually has to be backed up with complexity and a critical analysis of how we get there. We do that by demonstrating our support for two peoples who have to find a way to share one homeland. We articulate this as part of our vision of what it means to be pro-Israel, and we actually put skin in the game by platforming groups in Israel that are doing shared society work.
We consistently spend considerable time on our trips with civic leaders visiting those shared society spaces, showing our partners support, and learning about their work and their challenges. I'm really very proud of our commitment to the development of shared society, the funding of shared society, the investment, the platforming, the legitimizing of this approach to building a better future.
Know an outstanding Jewish communal professional? Learn more about the 2026 nomination criteria and nominate an outstanding Jewish communal professional here.