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Ezra Friedlander

Elliott Broidy - JAHM

Philanthropist Elliott Broidy Presented with Visionary Award at the Jewish Heritage Celebration on Capitol Hill

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — The annual Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM) luncheon was held May 19 on Capitol Hill, bringing together bipartisan members of Congress, foreign ambassadors, and civic, business, and religious leaders in the historic Kennedy Caucus Room of the Russell Senate Office Building to honor the enduring contributions of Jewish Americans to the United States.

The event was co-chaired by Malcolm Hoenlein, CEO Emeritus of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and Eric J. Gertler, Executive Chairman of U.S. News and World Report. It honored entrepreneur and philanthropist Elliott Broidy with the Visionary Award, Nobel Prize winning physician Dr. Harvey J. Alter with the Dr. David Nassy Award, and Rabbi David Baron of Temple of the Arts in Beverly Hills with the Creativity in the Jewish Community Award.

In accepting the Visionary Award, Broidy reflected on the values his parents instilled in him — his father a decorated World War II veteran, turned schoolteacher, his mother a nurse — and the lesson they passed down: that success carries with it a responsibility to give back to family, community, and country. He praised Dr. Alter as an embodiment of tikkun olam for identifying a virus that was silently claiming millions of lives, and recognized Rabbi Baron’s work building curricula around altruism and empathy in young people as among the most consequential being done in America today.

Broidy described the luncheon as more than a celebration of JAHM, calling it a reaffirmation of the shared responsibility to confront hatred and protect the values of tolerance, democracy, and human dignity at a moment when antisemitism has risen sharply both in the United States and around the world.

Various U.S. Senators participated in the program, including Richard Blumenthal, John Fetterman, John Hickenlooper , Elissa Slotkin, Ron Wyden, James Lankford, Jacky Rosen, Pete Ricketts, Jeff Merkley, and Tim Sheehy. U.S. Representatives Randi Fine and Ken Calvert also delivered speeches.

Rabbi Pini Dunner of Young Israel of Beverly Hills delivered remarks on the honorees, as did Rabbi Mordechai Suchard of The Gateways Organization and Rabbi Levi Shemtov, Executive Vice President of American Friends of Lubavitch.

The celebration traces its roots to the early 1980s, when Jewish Heritage Week was launched following discussions between Malcolm Hoenlein, President Ronald Reagan, and author and humanitarian Elie Wiesel, later evolving into the month-long observance recognized today.

The event was organized by Project Legacy under the leadership of Ezra Friedlander, whose work has made the Capitol Hill JAHM luncheon one of the most visible annual expressions of Jewish American civic life in Washington. Through Project Legacy, Friedlander has built a platform that brings elected officials, faith leaders, and community figures together each year to recognize Jewish Americans whose lives reflect the breadth of that community’s contributions to the nation. “This year’s honorees reflect a deep commitment to public service, innovation, philanthropy, and the fight against hatred and intolerance,” Friedlander said.

Elliott Broidy JAHM Visionary Award

‘Never been harder time in my lifetime to be a Jew in America,’ Michigan senator says at Capitol Hill Jewish heritage event

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This article was originally published in JNS.
( May 21, 2026 / JNS )

A dozen members of Congress participated in an annual Jewish American Heritage Month lunch in the Russell Senate Office Building, held this year on May 19.

Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), and Reps. Randi Fine (R-Fla.) and Ken Calvert (R-Calif.) took part.

“I am proud to be here as a Jewish American woman,” Slotkin said. “It’s just never been a harder time in my lifetime to be a Jew in America.”

“As a Democrat, it’s my responsibility to call out antisemitism in my own party, just as I hope that Sen. Lankford calls out antisemitism in his party,” the senator said.

Elliott Broidy, a businessman and philanthropist who was presented with a visionary award, told the audience that he is motivated to give back to his country because his parents taught him that success comes with responsibility.

Dr. Harvey Alter, a Nobel-winning physician, and Rabbi David Baron, of Temple of the Arts in Beverly Hills, Calif., also received awards.

“After years of intensive research, I’ve understood now why there’s such a preponderance of Jewish scientists. It’s because they all had Jewish mothers,” Alter said.

Elliott Broidy, James Lankford
Elliott Broidy and Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) at a Jewish American Heritage Month celebration on Capitol Hill, May 20, 2026. Credit: Lenchevsky Images. Picasa

Malcolm Hoenlein, CEO Emeritus of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, and Eric Gertler, executive chairman of U.S. News and World Report, co-chaired the event. “Jewish Heritage Week gives us an opportunity to celebrate the 250th anniversary of this great country,” Hoenlein told attendees.

“This year’s honorees reflect a deep commitment to public service, innovation, philanthropy and the fight against hatred and intolerance,” stated Ezra Friedlander, who organized the event.

Elliott Broidy at desk

Philanthropist and entrepreneur Elliott Broidy to be recognized at congressional celebration in Washington, D.C.

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By Jewish Heritage Celebration Committee, May 19, 2026

The annual Jewish American Heritage Month celebration on Capitol Hill will be held in the month of May on 19, bringing together members of Congress, foreign ambassadors and leaders from across the civic, business and religious communities. The Congressional Honorary Host Committee includes US Senator Tim Scott, US Senator Jeff Merkley, US Senator Pete Rickett, US Representative Grace Meng.

During Jewish American Heritage Month, we honor the countless contributions of Jewish Americans throughout the United States 250 years of independence, and we celebrate their unwavering commitment to the values that make our country great.

President Trump, in his proclamation for May 2026 as Jewish American Heritage Month, calls upon Americans to celebrate the heritage and contributions of Jewish Americans and to observe this month with appropriate programs, activities, and ceremonies. “I further call on all Americans to celebrate their faith and freedom throughout this year, during this month, and especially on Shabbat to celebrate our 250th year.”

The Capitol Hill event will honor Elliott Broidy, entrepreneur, public safety expert, and philanthropist, who will receive the Visionary Award during Jewish American Heritage Month on Capitol Hill for his leadership in national security, education, cultural philanthropy, and efforts to combat antisemitism, extremism, and intolerance.

Rabbi David Baron, spiritual leader of Temple of the Arts, will be receiving the Creativity in the Jewish Community Award for his contributions to Jewish cultural and religious life, Holocaust education, and public service through media, philanthropy, and international remembrance initiatives.

Dr. Harvey J. Alter will be presented the Dr. David Nassy Award in Medicine for his Nobel Prize-winning research leading to the discovery of hepatitis B and C viruses, breakthroughs that revolutionized blood safety and transformed the treatment of chronic liver disease.

“I am deeply moved to be recognized at the Capitol during Jewish American Heritage Month,” said Broidy. “Jewish Americans have helped build this country, and today, as antisemitism rises at an alarming rate, it is up to all of us to stand up to hate and advance the Judeo-Christian values on which America was founded.”

The event, organized by Project Legacy under the leadership of Ezra Friedlander, honors leaders whose lives and work reflect the enduring contributions of Jewish Americans to the fabric of this nation. Celebrating Jewish Heritage began in the early 1980s when Malcom Hoenlein, Executive Vice Chairman Emeritus of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, a prominent figure in American and world Jewry, accompanied by author Elie Wiesel, met with President Ronald Reagan in the White House to launch the National Jewish Heritage Week, which has since evolved into a month-long celebration accords the country.

Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz was the primary legislative leader behind the establishment of Jewish American Heritage Month. In 2006, she led a bipartisan congressional effort resulting in George W. Bush’s first presidential proclamation of May as Jewish American Heritage Month.

Once again, this year U.S. Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), Troy A. Carter, Sr. (LA-02) and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01) introduced a bipartisan Jewish American Heritage Month Resolution to recognize the significant contributions of Jewish Americans to the society and culture of the United States.

Malcolm Hoenlein, along with Eric J. Gertler, Executive Chairman of U.S. News and World Report will chair this year’s event.

“Jewish American Heritage Month is a moment to reflect on where we’ve come from, to celebrate what we’ve built and to recommit ourselves to protecting our most meaningful values,” added honoree Mr. Elliott Broidy. “I’m proud to stand alongside my fellow honorees and to carry that message into the halls of Congress.”