Mission
The Leonard I. Beerman Foundation for Peace and Justice honors the memory of Rabbi Leonard I. Beerman (1921–2014), a courageous and compassionate religious leader, social activist, and champion of peace and human rights. The Foundation recognizes and supports organizations, programs and activities similarly dedicated to improving the human condition.
The Work of the Foundation
The Beerman Foundation has two ongoing functions:
To support through Fellowship Awards the work of powerful young change-makers who walk in the path of Leonard Beerman. Beerman Fellows are social justice and political activists who believe in the imperative of lifting up the marginalized, dispossessed, and afflicted. All share Leonard's sense of prophetic urgency to bring change to the world now.
To honor through the Leonard I. Beerman Award for Social Justice in Action a person whose words and actions reflect Leonard’s courage and commitment to social justice. The award recipient delivers an address at an event presented by the Foundation and co-sponsored by organizations close to Leonard’s heart. The inaugural event in 2017 honored Congressman John Lewis, and the second award in 2019 was presented to Norman Lear. Rev. James Lawson was honored with the third award in April 2021 on the 100th anniversary of Leonard’s birth. In 2022, Dolores Huerta was honored as the fourth recipient of the Social Justice in Action award. In 2023, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi was honored. The 2024 awardee will be announced in fall 2024.
“An awakened conscience is what makes a human being, what makes a woman or a man more nearly a companion of God.”
Rabbi Leonard I. Beerman
Archive & Book
UCLA has agreed to archive Rabbi Beerman's papers, and with financial assistance from the Foundation, will digitize them to create the first part of the “Spiritual Leaders of Los Angeles” collection at the UCLA Library.
“The Eternal Dissident”: Rabbi Leonard I. Beerman and the Radical Imperative to Think and Act, a book of Leonard's sermons edited by Professor David Myers, is available for purchase here. A book launch event on June 7, 2018 brought together book editor Professor Myers and friends and colleagues of Rabbi Beerman to reflect on his remarkable career and its relevance to today. Guest speakers included Reverend Ed Bacon, Aziza Hasan, Mike Farrell, Salam al-Marayati, Professor Nomi Stolzenberg, and Rabbi Rachel Timoner.
Life and Work of Leonard I. Beerman
