ANNOUNCING THE 2026 SEIZE THE DREAM HONOREES:

Joni and Reid Fishman

and receiving the JFS Max Michelson Humanitarian Award:

OUR HONOREES: Joni and Reid Fishman

Joni and Reid Fishman are always actively helping and supporting the JFS vision. Working together, through a number of initiatives including the JFS-Rashi Teen Learning and Leadership Council, they have helped students strengthen their leadership skills, execute social services programming, and become young leaders in the Boston Jewish Community.

Joni’s work at The Rashi School has fostered what is annually one of our most successful Build a Backpack events, while she tirelessly teaches students the importance of taking on leadership roles, networking with other social justice-oriented teens, combatting antisemitism, and becoming inspirational change-makers. Through her work with the ADL’s “No Place for Hate” program, she has taught Jewish teens how to overcome bias and build stronger communities. Many of the area’s young leaders consistently speak about how Joni has helped them develop and focus their goals and activities as they tackle greater leadership responsibilities.

Having been aided by JFS when he was confronted with his own health issues, Reid recognizes the importance of our many initiatives. As such, he has helped Joni carry out each of her endeavors. In addition, through his work with the Lenny Zakim Fund, he has taught management skills to executive directors of non-profit organizations to enable them to function more effectively in those roles. More recently, with 2Life Communities, he helped older adults with varying income levels find affordable apartments in excellent communities. His latest adventure involves working with young, Boston-area fashion professionals to help them more effectively share their gifts with a larger audience while making sure that people of all backgrounds have access to clothing that will foster positive self-images.

Having lived in Framingham for 38 years, they are the proud parents of Gavin Alexander, who is the Wellbeing Director at Jackson Lewis P.C. and has served on the Massachusetts Judicial Nominating Commission. He currently serves as a member of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Standing Committee on Lawyer Well-Being and on DEI Committees for the American Bar Association, the Institute for Well-Being in Law, and the Boston Bar Association’s Steering Committee. Gavin previously functioned as Co-Chair of the Massachusetts LGBTQ Bar Association, and on the board of The National LGBTQ+ Bar Association. He has been recognized many times for his work in public service, including The Rashi School’s Tikkun Alum award.

Together, Joni and Reid are a formidable duo who have had a significant impact on JFS and the entire Boston-area charitable community. Moving forward, they are determined to work with JFS to build stronger community and connections, so that no one stands alone.

JFS MAX MICHELSON HUMANITARIAN AWARD RECIPIENTS: Rob Andrews

Robert Andrews and the Temple Beth Shalom (TBS) of Needham’s Refugee Resettlement Initiative have been partnering with Jewish Family Service of Metrowest since 2021 when the first Afghan families were arriving from Kabul. Since then Rob has been an active volunteer, helping to resettle many JFS families with his co-chair at TBS and team. Furthermore, Rob has actively worked to furnish over 35 apartments for other immigrant services clients with the help of the TBS community and the greater Needham and Dover/Sherborn communities. Starting with a minivan and his garage and now a commercial storage space thanks to a generous TBS family donation, Rob has also been able to create a JFS furniture and homegoods warehouse to stage apartments, assist clients as needed and prepare for future needs.

In addition, he has enjoyed providing transportation and friendship to other clients beyond those families being resettled by TBS, sometimes finding himself driving a group from Syria, Afghanistan, Guatemala, Cuba, and Nicaragua to and from a food pantry or moving a sofa up three flights of stairs communicating only in elementary French. Rob has been able to connect with interfaith neighbors and other congregations, like the Dover Church, in helping them engage with JFS clients and programming as well, serving as an unofficial ambassador for how congregations can get more engaged in the work of immigrant services. He is also always happy to bring a microwave or fan to any JFS client in need. He is most proud of being able to leverage the enormous amount of kindness in the broader community for the larger JFS of Metrowest organization. Rob lives in Dover with his husband Ron Shiloh and their two children Ilan and Erez.