June 26, 2007 / 10 Tammuz 5767

Barbara Spectre and Clive Lawton received the Max M. Fisher Prize for Jewish Education in the Diaspora for 2007

Barbara Spectre (prize recipient); Julie Koschitzky (Pincus Fund Chairman);
Clive Lawton (prize recipient)

The Max M. Fisher Prize for Jewish Education in the Diaspora for the year 2007, was awarded to Barbara Spectre of Sweden and Clive Lawton of Britain. The award ceremony took place at 11:45 on Tuesday, June 26, 2007, at the Inbal Hotel, in Jerusalem, within the forum of the Assembly of the Jewish Agency for Israel.

(lft-rt) Barbara Spectre (prize recipient); Julie Koschitzky (Pincus Fund Chairman);
Zev Bielski (Chairman of the Jewish Agency Executive); Clive Lawton (prize recipient);
Miriam Barkai (Pincus Fund Executive Director); Jane Sherman (Chair of the Board
of the UIA, and daughter of Max Fisher)

The Max M. Fisher Prize for Jewish Education in the Diaspora was established in 1999, by the Board of the L. A. Pincus Fund for Jewish Education in the Diaspora, to celebrate Mr. Fisher’s 90th birthday, and to recognize his leading role in promoting the advancement of Jewish education. Mr. Fisher z"l served as Chairman of the Pincus Fund from its establishment in 1977, until his death in 2005. Past prize winners have included educators from Argentina, Australia, Britain, France, Hungary, Morocco, the Netherlands, Russia, Ukraine, and Uruguay.

The L.A. Pincus Fund for Jewish Education in the Diaspora, based in Jerusalem, is an independent foundation which promotes the development of Jewish education in the Diaspora. It works to strengthen, expand, and enrich Jewish education, to raise Jewish educational standards, and to promote excellence. The Fund supports new and innovative projects which respond to the changing needs of Jewish education. It has approved more than 650 projects, in 55 countries. Projects are initiated and implemented by local communities.

Barbara Spectre is the Founding Director of Paideia, the European Institute of Jewish Studies in Sweden. Established with a grant from the Swedish government, Paideia serves as a stimulus for the renewal of European Jewish life. Through her work with Paideia, Ms. Spectre has initiated programs to train young Jewish leaders and educators throughout Europe and to encourage them to play important roles within Jewish educational frameworks in their communities. Ms. Spectre holds an M.A. in Philosophy from New York University. From 1984-90 she served as Academic Coordinator of the Melton Center at the Hebrew University. She has been a member of the Teaching Faculty of the Shalom Hartman Institute, Jerusalem, and the David Yellin Teachers' College, Jerusalem. She is co-author of A Different Light: The Big Book of Hanukkah and co-editor of A Different Light: The Hanukkah Book of Celebration.

Clive Lawton has played an active role in numerous educational and community frameworks in Britain, serving as administrator, consultant, and teacher trainer. His wide spectrum of community involvement currently includes appointment as Curriculum Advisor in Religious Education for the National Qualifications and Assessment Authority; and as a member of the Home Office Racial Equality Advisory Panel. He is Chair of Trustees of TZEDEK (Jewish Action for a Just World). Mr. Lawton also serves on the Board of Directors of the Jewish Community Center for London; on the Editorial Board of Jewish Renaissance; on the faculties of the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School and the European Center for Leadership Development and Training; and on the Board of the Commonwealth Jewish Council. He was a founder and Executive Director of Limmud, and currently serves Limmud as a senior Consultant. Mr. Lawton holds an M.Ed. in Religious Studies from the University of Liverpool, and an M.Sc. in Educational Management from the University of East London.

Photo Credit: Nir Eylon

*Only low resolution photos available.