PHILIP SCHEFFLER PURSUERS OF PEACE & JUSTICE AWARD
Award Ceremony: Sunday, June 7, 2026, at 11:30 a.m.
The Philip Scheffler Pursuers of Peace & Justice Award will be presented to Michael S. Roth on Sunday, June 7, 2026, at a ceremony in his honor at 11:30 a.m.
Congregation Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek (CBSRZ), has named Michael S. Roth, President of Wesleyan University since 2007, as the fourth recipient of its prestigious Philip Scheffler Pursuers of Peace & Justice Award. Roth is a CBSRZ congregant and a longtime participant in the weekly Torah study, Holy Scrollers. The Award will be presented at CBSRZ on Sunday, June 7, 2026, at 11:30 am. The ceremony is free and open to the public and will feature remarks by Roth on protecting democracy in America.
Roth has become one of America’s most vital defenders of free speech and democracy, and a forceful opponent of antisemitism. In 2025, he was recognized with the PEN/Benenson Courage Award for speaking out against governmental assaults on higher education, including federal scrutiny of international students and threats to university funding. He has been outspoken in identifying the present moment as critical in the fight against democratic backsliding and authoritarianism. In a recent New York Times opinion piece, Roth announced that “Wesleyan University and a network of hundreds of schools and allied organizations are uniting for Democracy Summer, a nationwide program to educate citizens and protect our elections in the coming year.”
You may learn more about Michael Roth by clicking on the following links:
- Trump Administration and Anti-semitism – “Trump is Selling Jews a Dangerous Lie”
- Democracy summer – “This Summer, Students from Hundreds of Colleges Will Heed One Urgent Call”
- CNN interview by Christiane Amanpour
The Award was established in 2015 to mark the 100th anniversary of CBSRZ, whose name translates to “House of Peace, Pursuers of Justice.” It was renamed in 2016 to honor the memory of longtime CBS 60 Minutes Executive Editor Philip Scheffler, congregation member and indefatigable defender of freedom of the press. Previous Peace & Justice Award recipients are Martha Stone (2015), founder and special counsel of Connecticut’s Center for Children’s Advocacy; Andy Schatz (2017), social justice advocate and former president of the ACLU of Connecticut and member of the national ACLU board and executive committee; and Norm Eisen (2023), former ethics czar in the White House, ambassador to the Czech Republic, and worldwide anti-corruption advocate.
If you would like to make a donation in support of this and future Peace & Justice Award events, please do so by sending a check payable to “CBSRZ,” noting “PSPP&J Award” in the memo line and mail to 55 E. Kings Highway, Chester, CT 06412, or by calling the CBSRZ office (860-526-8920) with credit card information. Registration is required.
PHILIP SCHEFFLER, 1930-2016
PREVIOUS RECIPIENTS
Norm Eisen, 2023
Andy Schatz, 2017
Martha Stone, 2015
