Ana Robbins, the founder and CEO of Atlanta-based Jewish Kids Group was named the first recipient of the Rose Lubin Jewish Pride Award by the Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life.
Lubin, a Dunwoody High School graduate and Israeli Defense Force officer, was killed in a knife attack near Herod’s Gate on Nov. 6. The attack came a month after Hamas militants attacked Israel. Lubin was only 20 years old.
Robbins started JKG in 2012 to provide camp-style Jewish learning and friendship during the school year to kids in kindergarten through tenth grade.
According to an announcement made by the Steinhardt Foundation, the JG’s largest program, JKG Afternoon Community, combines Jewish education with weekday afternoon childcare to meet the needs of modern Jewish families.
“Jewish after-school provides an additional option to the typical Sunday and Hebrew School model, inspiring families to immerse their children in a Jewish social and programmatic context every day instead of just one or two days a week,” Steinhardt Foundation President Rabbi David Gedzelman said.
“Now, the kids’ primary social group is Jewish so, for them, belonging to the Jewish people becomes part of their core identity, not an occasional experience,” he said. “This is life-changing for individuals and families and represents a potential cultural shift for American Jews.”
Robbins said receiving the award is meaningful to her and the organization that she started from the ground up 12 years ago.
“Rose Lubin was such a hero to me, and it was devastating to hear of her murder,” Robbins said. “While I didn’t know her personally, I felt a real connection with her, being from Atlanta. It also is such an honor to be recognized by a national organization in the city where both of us lived.”
