Robert Dobrusin

Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Rabbi Robert Dobrusin changed my life. I used to be in a radical anti-Israel group that, every Saturday during services, protested outside Rabbi Dobrusin’s synagogue. After some relatives eventually convinced me to stop, I sent a letter of apology to Rabbi Dobrusin. To my amazement, he invited me to meet with him, and was kind, understanding and forgiving. Since then I’ve been a staunch member of his congregation. Sadly, the weekly protests continue, as they have for 10 years, but Rabbi Dobrusin has helped the congregation respond with calm and dignity. His presence is the reason sanity has prevailed, in my life and in that of the community. I can’t say enough wonderful things about my rabbi and all he has done for me and the community. He helps pay for the tuition for my Hebrew classes, which I wouldn’t be able to afford otherwise. Whenever I’ve gone to him for guidance, he has always steered me right, and I’ve heard others say the same. God bless Rabbi Dobrusin!
— Laurel Federbush + 2 other nominations
"Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief"
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
