Weekly Kibbitz
The prize dubbed the “Jewish Nobel” will go to Barbra Streisand later this year, in
a return to its tradition of honoring Jewish celebrities for their lifetime of achieve-
ments. The iconic actor and singer is getting the Genesis Prize, which has been
awarded since 2013, in recognition of her contributions to a number of fields,
including the arts and philanthropy.

The prize was endowed by a group of Russian Jewish billionaires, three
of whom stepped down from the board of a related foundation, the Genesis
Philanthropy Group, after being targeted by Western sanctions last year for
their ties to Vladimir Putin following his invasion of Ukraine. The most recent
Genesis Prize, awarded earlier this year, went to Jewish activists and nonprofits
in Ukraine — the first time the prize had not been given to a single individual.

Now, the prize foundation is signaling a return to normalcy by selecting
Streisand, 81, who has served as a symbol of pride for generations of women
and men who saw themselves reflected in her brash, Brooklyn-bred, unapolo-
getically Jewish persona. She has sold more than 100 million records; had more
albums chart in the Top 40 than any other female recording artist; and is one of
just 18 people to rack up an EGOT — an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony.

The prize’s goal is to stimulate Jewish giving by raising awareness of particular
needs. Streisand will be donating her $1 million award to four groups aimed at
protecting the environment, promoting women’s health, combating disinforma-
tion in the media and aiding the people of Ukraine, according to a press release
from the Genesis Prize Foundation.

“I am delighted to be honored by the special 10th Anniversary Genesis Prize
and to work with The Genesis Prize Foundation to support organizations that
seek to better society and our shared humanity,” Streisand said in a statement.

“I am very proud of my Jewish heritage, and have always been moved by the
Jewish tradition of tikkun olam, to repair the world. I hope to join and inspire
others in their own commitment to build
a better world.”
The ceremony honoring Streisand,
which will be held for the first time in
Los Angeles, marks another change for
the prize.

Before this year, the prize had been
awarded at a ceremony in Israel. In the
past, it was presented in cooperation
with the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office,
and in 2018, actor Natalie Portman,
Barbra Streisand
that year’s honoree, stirred controversy
by declining to attend the ceremony
in protest of “recent events” in Israel. The partnership with the prime minister
ended in 2020.

The award seeks to honor “extraordinary individuals for their outstanding
professional achievement, contribution to humanity, and commitment to Jewish
values,” according to the press release, and has generally gone to a celebrity
who has worn their Jewish identity publicly. Many of its laureates have been
involved in the arts — including actors Michael Douglas and Portman; sculptor
Anish Kapoor; violinist Itzhak Perlman; and, in 2021, filmmaker Steven Spielberg.

“Her sense of responsibility to heal the world grows out of her Jewish values
and her Jewish identity, which Barbra has displayed proudly since the very
beginning of her extraordinary career,” Genesis Prize Foundation founder Stan
Polovets said in a statement about Streisand. “Barbra’s innovative philanthropy
has had significant impact in so many areas, including health, environment, and
gender equality.”
— Jackie Hajdenberg | JTA
NIH Image Gallery from Bethesda, Maryland, USA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Barbra Streisand Is Getting the Next ‘Jewish Nobel’
Actor Brett Gelman proposed to his longtime
girlfriend, musician Ari Dayan, in Jerusalem last
month. The Western Wall and Jerusalem skyline provided
the backdrop for actor Brett Gelman’s proposal to his
now-fiancée musician Ari Dayan.

The couple, together since 2019, announced their
engagement on Instagram.

“SHE SAID YES!!!” Gelman shared. “Can’t wait for
Mr. Gelman to become Mr. Dayan,” Dayan wrote.

Gelman, 46, is best known for his roles as the
conspiracy theorist and private investigator Murray
Bauman on Netflix’s “Stranger Things” and as the
insufferable Martin on the BBC comedy “Fleabag.”
4 MAY 11, 2023 | JEWISH EXPONENT
He grew up in Highland Park, Illinois, a heavily
Jewish suburb of Chicago.

Dayan, meanwhile, is a singer and performance
artist from California. She has posted videos previ-
ously from Tel Aviv and has also shared about her
grandmother, a Holocaust survivor whom she said
inspired her song “Sara.”
The pair have collaborated in the past, including
for the music video for Dayan’s 2022 song “Love”
and in a Chanukah singalong (with Dayan singing in
Israeli-accented Hebrew) taped in their Los Angeles
home and posted to Instagram.

In a joint interview with Ladygunn in 2022, Gelman
called the “Love” video a “total equal collaboration.”
“Ari is a comic genius and her previous videos
hadn’t showcased that side of her,” Gelman said.

“Plus, the song itself has a celebratory tone to it.”
“We found our mutual voice pretty quickly,” Dayan
said. “It has a lot of both of us in it both conceptually
and tonally. I find a lot of joy at laughing at myself,
and I think Brett does, too. This is a love letter to that
part of ourselves.”
In an interview with W Magazine last year, Gelman
said his Jewish background is the motivation behind
his approach to the world both in terms of humor
and empathy. Coining the term “Jaddy” to refer to
a “sexy, Jewish, masculine man,” he said his style
role models are actors like Elliott Gould and Richard
Dreyfuss who dispel the stereotype of nerdy Jewish
men. Gelman will appear alongside Natalie Portman in
the upcoming Apple TV series “Lady in the Lake,”
focused on the disappearances and deaths of a
Jewish girl and a Black woman who were treated
with unequal media attention in the 1960s.

Gelman was previously married, from 2015 to 2018,
to the Jewish performance artist Janicza Bravo with
whom he collaborated on a film called “Lemon”
about a washed-up Jewish actor.

— Jackie Hajdenberg | JTA
Screenshot via Instagram via JTA
‘Stranger Things’ Star Brett Gelman Proposes to
Girlfriend Ari Dayan in Jerusalem



local
Eagles Tackle Lane Johnson Speaks on
Mental Health at JFCS Event
Sasha Rogelberg | Staff Writer
Photos by Jordan Cassway
F or Eagles offensive lineman Lane Johnson, his
toughest opponent isn't the Cowboys or the
Chiefs. It's himself.

On the field, the All-Pro player has experienced the
highest highs of the sport, but off the field, Johnson has
struggled with depression and anxiety, which caused
him to sit out of three games in 2021.

Johnson shared his story of navigating mental health
issues at the Jewish Family and Children’s Service of
Greater Philadelphia’s Center Stage event for donors
on May 2.

“What I’m really trying to do with my story is to inspire
people, to inform people and to make it possibly better
for families, for parents and their children and make
it something that’s talked about more and, I feel like,
faced rather than feared,” Johnson said at the event.

Johnson, 33, has worn midnight green since 2013,
helping the team secure a Super Bowl victory in 2018.

He holds the NFL record for most consecutive games
without allowing a sack at 26 games. His accolades
don’t necessarily reflect his struggles.

Struggling with depression and anxiety while playing
on his high school football team in Groveton, Texas,
Johnson battled with perfectionism and the pressure
of playing at the top of his game in a town with a big
football culture. He was diagnosed with anxiety while
attending the University of Oklahoma.

Johnson injured his ankle at the end of 2018 and
underwent a minor procedure, but in 2020, he played
seven games before having to get surgery again.

Johnson noticed a dip in performance which triggered
intense anxiety: He couldn’t run as efficiently and didn’t
put full trust in his foot.

“When you excel at something, you have a sort of
standard to play at, and internally, when that’s not met,
it can create a lot of turmoil,” he said. “So that was what
was going on in my mind.”
Around the same time, he experienced tremendous
side effects after he stopped taking an antidepressant.

“What I was going through was severe withdrawal
effects,” he said. “Nausea, vomiting, tremors in my
hands and, really, the inability to focus or carry on
just really ordinary tasks. I felt like every day, it was a
challenge. ... I needed to really reassess my career.”
In 2021, Johnson took a break after a Week 3 loss
to the Cowboys and returned three games later. The
Eagles went 7-3 over the rest of the season.

Today, Johnson has a mental performance coach in
Lane Johnson speaks at the Jewish Family and
Children’s Service of Greater Philadelphia’s Center
Stage event for major donors.

Brian Cain, who works with athletes in the NBA, NFL,
NHL, MLB and PGA. He learned to treat anxiety as a
motivator and performance tool.

“We all see anxiety as a negative, and it can be if
you let it take over your life,” Johnson said. “But as a
performer, [Cain] always says that anxiety is like a fire.

Fire could do wonders for us, keeping us alive, but
obviously, if it gets out of order, it can destroy your life.”
Recognizable as one of the players in a dog mask —
alongside then-defensive end Chris Long — ahead of
the 2018 Super Bowl, Johnson believes in the power
of the underdog. He’s spoken about his battle with
mental illness in depression treatment centers and on
Instagram. The best way to address mental health struggles is
to first acknowledge that they exist. Educating people
on the importance of mental health is the first step,
Johnson argued: “No conversation is too small.”
JFCS featured Johnson as part of their major donor
event focused this year on mental health to address a
“growing mental health crisis,” according to Christina
Comenos, counseling program director for JFCS of
Greater Philadelphia.

The event began with brief speeches by social
worker Michael Byrne, art therapist Kiarra Williams,
JFCS’ LGBTQ initiative program manager Galia Godel
and JFCS’ Parenting Education supervisor Lynette Ellis,
each representing a community JFCS helps to serve.

“Supporting the mental health of our clients is the
underpinning of everything we do here at JFCS –
whether providing food or financial assistance, referrals
for resources, adoption services and more,” Comenos
said. “Because mental health challenges can jeopar-
dize all other areas of life, there is no crisis or life transi-
tion where an individual’s mental health isn’t prioritized
by our social workers.”
JFCS works with older adults to address feelings
of isolation, death, illness, conflicts with children and
more, with a focus on positive aging. Their Mental
Health Network helps address barriers, such as costs,
clients may have in accessing mental health services.

JFCS’ youth programs work with young people strug-
gling with self-harm and suicidal ideation and can offer
free pediatric care for those at or below 250% of the
federal poverty guidelines.

“Mental health is a thread that runs through every-
thing that we do for the community we serve,” Comenos
said. ■
srogelberg@midatlanticmedia.com JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
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