Saul Cohen – Schoke JFS Lecture

Barry Shrage

Barry Shrage served as President of Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Boston (CJP) for 31 years and is currently a faculty member at Brandeis University. During his time at CJP, he promoted inclusion and supported the needs of Boston’s diverse community.

Barry is a passionate supporter of Jewish education and other programs to strengthen Jewish identity in every form. CJP worked with synagogues and day schools creating initiatives including Me’ah, an intensive Jewish adult education curriculum, a large scale program to improve day school quality, and incentive grant programs to support Jewish overnight camp opportunities and boost day school enrollment.

Barry supported expansion and innovation in human services for the most vulnerable, including people with disabilities, the elderly, immigrants, and refugees. CJP also helped develop new housing for the elderly, an inter-generational campus for one of Boston’s day schools, and residential services for the elderly. Most importantly CJP developed a large scale program serving Jews living in poverty.

He also believes that our direct relationship with Israel is key to the development of Jewish identity for the next generation. To achieve this, he helped to create the Boston-Haifa Connection, he embraced the power of Taglit-Birthright Israel, helped spearhead CJP’s Birthright Israel Campus Initiative, and vastly expanded young adult programs aimed at helping them to understand and engage with Israel and become more engaged and educated Jews.