Ruby won the Gandel Young Leader Award 2018 (NSW). She has a strong belief in equal access to education, which was the motivation behind her project to collect study essentials for the benefit of school students in need as part of her Bat Mitzvah. After completing Stand Up ABC, Ruby was inspired to ask fellow Bellevue Hill Public School students to donate educational stationery goods. She then dedicated her holiday break towards packaging them up for distribution via the Aboriginal Literacy and Numeracy Foundation (ALNF).

Stand Up ABC taught me that becoming Bat Mitzvah isn’t only about becoming an adult, but is also about finding out what our responsibilities are in the real world and how we can create positive change.

Giselle Davey was the winner of the 2018 Gandel Young Leader Award (Vic). She ultilised her love for swimming to support a cause close to her and her family’s hearts. After completing Stand Up ABC, as part of the UJEB Bat Mitzvah program, Giselle decided to raise funds in support of the Ardoch Youth Foundation. Giselle raised over $1300 by challenging herself to swim as many laps as physically possible over the course of one hour, and managed to cover an amazing 4km through her efforts.

I graduated out of Stand Up ABC wanting to make a change. Making a change in the world is possible even if you are not in a position of power. Doing something small for a few people is still a significant change. Swimming is something that I enjoy, and wanted to combine my passion with helping others.

Ellie was the winner of the 2019 Gandel Young Leader Award (Vic). She donated her hair to Hair with Heart, who make wigs for those who have lost their hair due to medical conditions. Mazel tov Ellie!

Kayla is the Gandel Young Leader Award Winner in 2017. Kayla was inspired after doing Stand Up ABC to collect over 300+ secondhand books that she donated to the Ardoch Youth Foundation. Kayla's donation via Ardoch gave 200 less privileged kids the opportunity to take books home (some for the first time) and improve their literacy levels.

Mazel Tov Kayla!

Gary Samowitz was Stand Up's first CEO, serving for more than ten years. He is passionate about social change and experiential learning. Gary told the Australian Jewish News that he considered his work with Sudanese refugees, building and strengthening relationships between Indigenous elders and Jewish children, and the publication of Stand Up’s Haggadot as some of the highlights of his time at Stand Up. Thank you Gary for all your work to build Stand Up into what it is today.

Today, being Jewish is a choice and there’s a lot of competing interests out there. We need to make being Jewish inspiring and not something you do purely out of guilt. I don’t feel guilt is sustaining.

Henry is first and foremost a devoted family man and friend, who co-founded Kalus Kenny Intelex Lawyers nearly 30 years ago. Henry is a major contributor to Melbourne’s property industry and commercial landscape, and is a trusted adviser to many of Melbourne’s leading entrepreneurs. Henry has been committed to building his firm on well-articulated and lived values focused on quality, integrity and primarily always putting people first.

Qualifications: Bachelor of Laws (Monash University).