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An Evening to Celebrate and Support At-Risk Jewish Queer Youth

Honoring
Rachel Sussman
Jewish Queer Icon Award
Monday
May 19, 2025
6:30 PM
David Rubenstein Atrium at
Lincoln Center
Broadway between 62nd and 63rd Str, NYC
Honoring
Rachel Sussman
Jewish Queer Icon Award

Monday, 6:30 PM
May 19, 2025

David Rubenstein Atrium at
Lincoln Center
Broadway between 62nd and 63rd Str, NYC

Featuring

Ben Levi Ross
Dana Goldberg
Esther Fallick
JJ Maley
Julia Lester
Nikki M. James
Zachary Noah Piser

Directed by

Leigh Silverman

| Music Directed by 

Julianne B. Merrill

Produced by Erica Rotstein, Heather Shields, and Sammy Lopez

About the Gala

  • Open bar
  • Elevated bites
  • Special performances

JQY’s annual gala is a premier fundraising event supporting at-risk Jewish LGBTQ youth, providing life-saving community, resources, and crisis support. Hosted in one of New York’s most iconic venues, this evening brings together leaders, allies, and changemakers for a meaningful and celebratory experience that fuels our mission. 

Funds raised from the gala directly support JQY’s programs, including free mental health services, community events, and critical support for LGBTQ youth in need. 

  • Dietary laws observed
  • Festive cocktail attire
  • 21+ Event
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Honoring

Rachel Sussman

Jewish Queer Icon Award

Tony Award-winning producer (Suffs, Parade, Just for Us) and champion of underrepresented voices on Broadway, Rachel Sussman has dedicated her career to uplifting powerful stories and advocating for inclusion. As the recipient of the Jewish Queer Icon Award, we celebrate her contributions to both the Jewish and LGBTQ communities.

RACHEL SUSSMAN is a Tony Award-winning creative producer, educator, and entrepreneur who believes deeply in elevating human stories that challenge existing systems and create more space for inquiry, empathy, and action.  She is a co-founder of The Business of Broadway and a partner at Soto Productions, overseeing all theatrical development. 

A former WP Theater Lab Time Warner Foundation Fellow, Rachel received the 2018 Prince Fellowship in Creative Producing and was named one of Variety’s “10 to Watch on Broadway.” She is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Columbia University’s School of the Arts and NYU Tisch.

Gala Leadership

Gala Co-Chairs

Duvi Stahler
Jessica Rothbart

JQY Executive Director

Rachael Fried

Host Committee (in formation)

Adam Mersel
Alex Edelman
Ben Goldberg
Ben Platt & Noah Galvin
Bess Kalb
Caitlin Berg
Catherine Markowitz
Emma Galvin
Erica Rotstein
Heather Shields
JJ Maley
Jackson Block
Jenny Gersten
Jill Furman
Joshua Harmon
Joshua Marx & Mike Stanton
Julie Klausner
Karlee Fomalont
Leigh Silverman
Matthew Rosenthal & Jeffrey Stein
Maurice Bensmihen
Micaela Diamond
Molly Bernard
Molly Rodau
Nelini Stamp
Rachel Brosnahan & Jason Ralph
Rachel Gould
Riva Marker
Robb Nanus
Sammy Lopez
Shaina Taub
Todd Rubin

Support the Cause

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PREMIER
SPONSOR

  • $50,000
  • VIP Reserved Cocktail Tables for 15 Guests
  • Premier eJournal page
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SIGNATURE BAR SPONSOR

  • $36,000(1 AVAILABLE)
  • Exclusive Branding of
    Bar (e.g. Signage,
    Napkins, Stirrers)
  • VIP Reserved Cocktail
    Tables for 10 Guests
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DIAMOND
SPONSOR

  • $18,000
  • VIP Reserved Cocktail Tables for 10 Guests
  • Diamond eJournal page
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PLATINUM
SPONSOR

  • $10,000
  • VIP Reserved Cocktail Table for 5 Guests
  • Platinum eJournal page
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SIGNATURE DRINK SPONSOR

  • $5,000(4 AVAILABLE)
  • Name One Signature
    Cocktail or Cocktail
  • Reserved Seating
    for 4 Guests
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GOLD
SPONSOR

  • $2,500
  • Reserved Seating
    for 2 guests
  • Gold eJournal page
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SUPPORTER
 

  • $1,000
  • 2 General Admission
    Tickets
  • Supporter eJournal listing
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FRIEND
 

  • $360
  • 1 General Admission
    Ticket
  • Friend eJournal listing
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GENERAL
ADMISSION

  • $250
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EARLY BIRD
 

  • $180
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Join us for a night of celebration while making a tangible impact. Secure your spot now and support LGBTQ Jewish youth.

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Corporate Sponsorship

Align your brand with impact. Sponsorship opportunities are available for companies looking to support JQY’s mission.

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Thank You to our Sponsors:

Platinum

Anonymous (x2)
Chani and Shimie Klein
Josh Sassoon & Chris Carrington
Todd B. Rubin – The Rubin Family Foundation

Signature Drink

Daniel and Ellen Crown

Gold

Adam Hoffman & Matthew Rayburn
Ari & Avi Breitz
Benjamin D. Goldberg
Daniel & Marjorie Fried
Immersive Music
Linden Entertainment
Nicole & Stephen Eisenberg
Noah Eisenberg
Rachel Brosnahan & Jason Ralph

Supporter

Eli Bernard Lewis and Navin Dev Bhatia, MD
Henry Tisch and Sean Walsh
Isaac Namdar & Andrew Mitchell-Namdar
Jason Eisner
Jeremy Nagel
Jill Furman
Ma’ayan and Rabbi Ezra Seligsohn
SpotCo

Interested in donating something to the Gala Auction? Click here
For sponsorships & custom partnerships,
email gala@jqy.org or call 332-241-7516
jqy.org

Featured Performer

Ben Levi Ross

BEN LEVI ROSS was most recently seen as ‘Younger Brother’ in New York City Center’s hit Gala production of Ragtime this past fall. Ben also played ‘Nick Carraway’ in A.R.T.’s highly anticipated production of Gatsby last summer. He starred as the lead in Jason Robert Brown’s most recent musical The Connector at MCC Theater, which he received Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations for. Ben notably played the role of ‘Evan’ in Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway, after leading the first national tour in the same role. Additionally, he played ‘Henry’ in Next to Normal at the Kennedy Center. In film, Ben can be seen in “Tick, Tick… Boom!” on Netflix, and he plays Elsbeth Tascioni’s son, ‘Teddy’ on the hit CBS TV series “Elsbeth.” Ben also makes and releases music under the moniker Boychik.

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Featured Performer

Dana Goldberg

DANA GOLDBERG is a writer, comedian, and activist who has been seen on ABC, TBS, and Last Comic Standing. She was named to CURVE Magazine’s Power List and GO Magazine’s 100 Women We Love. Dana has headlined theaters and festivals including the San Francisco International Comedy Competition, The Comedy Festival produced by TBS and HBO, and the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland. She has performed at and emceed hundreds of high-profile events, sharing the national stage with luminaries like President Barack Obama, President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Kristin Chenoweth, Meryl Streep, Carol Burnett, Sir Elton John and countless others. Combining her gift of humor with humanitarian efforts, Goldberg has raised over $60M for non-profits around the country in the fight for LGBTQ rights, women’s health, and HIV/AIDS education and prevention. Goldberg is the co-host of The Daily Beans and is currently developing her first TV pilot with SOTO Productions. 

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Featured Performer

Esther Fallick

Esther Fallick is a comedian, singer, and musical theater writer. She has appeared in Them, Vulture, Autostraddle, Slate, Gawker and more. Her one woman show, “Esther Updates Her Book” sold out Joe’s Pub, The Bell House, and was part of the 2022 New York Comedy Festival. She recently earned rave reviews as the narrator of Butch Wicked. She was also the co-writer on the Purple M&M’s announcement song, “I’m Just Gonna Be Me”, which was famously hated by Tucker Carlson. She performs regularly around Brooklyn & Manhattan and frankly you’re just gonna love her.

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Featured Performer

JJ Maley

JJ Maley is an actor, writer, and producer. JJ stars in COMMAND Z, directed by Steven Soderbergh alongside Michael Cera, Roy Wood Jr., Liev Schreiber, and Chloe Radcliffe. He is a Tony Award Winner for A Strange Loop and a 4 Time Tony-Nominated Producer. Producing credits include Illinoise (Tony Nomination), What the Constitution Means to Me (Tony Nomination), Indecent (Tony Nomination), and Be More Chill. Performing credits include “This Really Happened” (Pilot, Tribeca Film Festival 2024), King of the Jews (Off-Broadway), Esther Updates Her Book, “Period”, and “Farther Along” (pilot). His debut short film “808” (writer, actor, producer) screened at the Oscar-Qualifying Out on Film Festival. JJ is also the Founder and Executive Director of Queer Arts Coalition, a 501c3 that seeks to provide opportunities and resources for artists who identify under the myriad of identities under the “queer” umbrella.

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Hosted by

Julia Lester

Julia Lester is currently playing Wilma in All Nighter Off-Broadway at the Newman Mills Theater at MCC (Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel nominations), and can be seen as Lila in the Netflix series “The Four Seasons” created by/starring Tina Fey. Select stage credits: Broadway Debut as Little Red Ridinghood in the 2022 revival of Into the Woods (Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle nominations), Miss Marmelstein in I Can Get It For You Wholesale (Classic Stage Company), Martha in The Secret Garden (Center Theatre Group). Select TV/film credits: “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” (Disney+), “Prom Dates” (Hulu), “Mom” (CBS). 

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Featured Performer

Nikki M. James

Nikki M. James can be seen as Kirsten McDuffie in the hit Disney+ show “Daredevil: Born Again”. She was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance as Ida B Wells in Suffs. She originated the role of Nabalungi in The Book of Mormon, for which she won the Tony for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.

Favorite theater credits include Tony Kushner’s A Bright Room Called Day (Public), Broadway productions of Les Miserables,  All Shook Up and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,  Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin (Encores!), Romeo & Juliet, Caesar & Cleopatra alongside Christopher Plummer (Stratford Theater), The Wiz (La Jolla Playhouse), Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night (Shakespeare in the Park), Bernarda Alba (Lincoln Center), and Preludes (LCT3).

Recent notable work in television includes “Severance” (AppleTV+) and starring roles in “Proven Innocent” for FOX and CBS’s quirky series “Braindead”.

As a director, Nikki has helmed episodes of “The Bite” and “The Good Fight”. She served as an assistant director to Michael Arden for the Broadway revival of Once On This Island and A Christmas Carol live capture starring Jefferson Mays.

She resides in New York City with her family and holds a BFA in Drama from NYU. She is a sustaining member of her local public radio station. @nikkimjames

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Featured Performer

Zachary Noah Piser

Zachary Noah Piser (he/him) is a Hapa, Jewish actor based in New York City. A 2025 Drama Desk nominee, Zach just finished his run as Spencer in Redwood on Broadway, starring opposite Idina Menzel. Previously, he’s been seen on Broadway in Dear Evan Hansen (Evan), KPOP (Brad, OBC), and Wicked (Boq). Off-Broadway: See What I Wanna See (OOTB Theatrics), Sweeney Todd (Barrow Street Theatre, West End transfer). Film/TV: In Your Dreams (Netflix), Host of PBS’s “Camp TV” series (2x Kidscreen Award nominated), in addition to voicing feature films including Mean Girls and Snow White. Zach is a Bay Area native, and a Northwestern grad. @zach_piser

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Directed by

Leigh Silverman 

Leigh Silverman has directed over 60 world premiere new plays and musicals. She received Tony nominations for her direction of the musicals Suffs and Violet and most recently directed Yellow Face on Broadway for Roundabout Theatre Company, which was nominated for 3 Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Play.

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Music Directed by

Julianne B. Merrill

JULIANNE B. MERRILL  she/her Bway: A Strange Loop, Some Like it Hot, Harmony, How to Dance in Ohio, Smash, Real Women Have Curves. Off-Bway: Music City, Jonathan Larson Project, Big Gay Jamboree, Drag: The Musical, Communion, The Lonely Few, White Girl in Danger. National Tour: Some Like it Hot. A recent graduate and now professor at BerkleeNYC, Julianne uses the artist name “PatchMaster.” @juliannemerrill

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