United Jewish Federation of Stamford, New Canaan, and Darien (UJF) is excited to announce the creation of the Lilly Reiser Scholarship, which will provide $10,000 college scholarships per year for nine Jewish students from Connecticut and New York. Awards will be based on a combination of both need and merit.

Lilly E. Reiser (1924-2020) was born in the small town of Moravska-Ostrava in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (now the Czech Republic). Having suffered the inhumanity and indignity of forced labor and internment during the Holocaust at Theresienstadt, Auschwitz, and Bergen-Belson, Lilly was eventually liberated from Bergen-Belson by British soldiers. She emigrated to the United States in 1945 and was only able to obtain her degrees because of the generosity of various Jewish communal organizations, that provided her with the scholarships necessary to do so.

Lilly completed her undergraduate education at Hunter College and went on to achieve a graduate degree from Columbia University’s New York School of Social Work. She proudly served as a social worker in the New York City Public School for over 50 years. Ever thankful for the financial support she received from the organized Jewish community, Lilly wanted to provide similar support to deserving and financially challenged students of Jewish faith.

“I can’t think of a more special way to honor Lilly’s memory, than by honoring her wishes to assist young Jews achieve their academic dreams like she did,” said Eric Ross, UJF Deputy Director.

The scholarship application period will be open from February 15 through March 15, 2024. For more information and scholarship requirements, please visit www.ujf.org/lillyreiser, or contact UJF Deputy Director Eric Ross at eric@ujf.org. 

This article appears in the February/March issue of The New Jewish Voice newspaper. To receive The New Jewish Voice delivered free to your home, sign-up today at www.ujf.org.