Cincinnati Resident to be Honored with International Women’s Empowerment Award
Julie Kantor is one of 12 awardees selected for social justice honor
CINCINNATI — Cincinnati resident Julie Kantor will be honored with Women of Reform Judaism’s (WRJ), 2025 Women’s Empowerment Award.
WRJ, the feminist affiliate of the largest and most diverse Jewish denomination in North America, selected 12 individuals to be honored with this prestigious award that highlights those who embody social justice.
This award was established in 2019 to honor women, nonbinary, and genderfluid individuals who strengthen the voices of others, with a focus on empowering women and girls, and who promote progressive Jewish values.
“In line with Women of Reform Judaism’s legacy of strengthening the voices of women worldwide, the individuals selected for this prestigious honor work toward a more just, inclusive, and compassionate world in all that they do for their communities,” said WRJ President Karen Sim.
Kantor is a member of Isaac M. Wise Temple in Cincinnati, OH, where she sits on the Board of Trustees and Executive Board. For 14 years, she ran “A Day of Beauty,” a program centered around lifting up residents at the YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter around Valentine’s Day.
She has also spearheaded and overseen the Rabbi Lewis and Renee Kamrass Social Action Fund for the last 8 years, distributing over $200,000 to support organizations in Cincinnati the community and creating volunteer opportunities for Wise members to aid those organizations.
She created a Cincinnati Extreme Home Makeover project, called "Home Sweet New Home," to build a new house for a family with 12 children (9 with special needs). Her project team raised over $500,000 in cash and in-kind donations. She and her project teams have improved life for families going through hard times, catastrophic situations, and debilitating illnesses.
“I am deeply grateful and humbled by this award and thank WRJ for recognizing me. I know I’m in very special company to have received it,” Kantor shared.
Described as a “social justice warrior,” she was previously selected as a “Woman of the Year” by the Cincinnati Enquirer.
WRJ will acknowledge and celebrate Kantor and her fellow awardees Sunday, April 6, 2025, as part of WRJ’s Social Justice Conference (SJC). This four-day conference is designed to train attendees on the biggest social justice issues of our time. Attendance includes education from policy experts, advocacy training, access to the Women’s Empowerment Awards dinner, ending with a day of lobbying at the US Capitol.
Attendance options are available for all (age 18+) interested in advocacy through a Jewish feminist lens. Register today.