Olena Zelenska, First Lady of Ukraine, Alyssa Milano, Erica Campbell, A.R. Rahman, Justin Trudeau, Mark Cuban, Andra Day, Deepak Chopra, Sheryl Sandberg, and Irwin Cotler are all names that millions of people know around the world. However, with each of them making a name for themselves in different areas, most would struggle to find a common denominator beyond their notoriety. Well, there is one: Their connection to Jay Rosenzweig.
Growing up in a Jewish family in Montreal, Canada, Jay was taught from an early age the importance of hard work, diversity, and compassion, especially in the form of the admonition “Justice, Justice shall you pursue.” These life lessons would lead him to eventually pursue degrees in civil law, common law, and philosophy at McGill University, where he would meet many important teachers and inspirations, with Irwin Cotler at the top of his list.
A renowned human right advocate at the center of of the great human rights struggles of the second half of the 20th century — the struggle for Soviet Jewry and the struggle against apartheid in South Africa, Professor Irwin Cotler represented both Nelson Mandela and Natan Sharansky. Among his many accomplishments, Cotler went on to an illustrious career as a Canadian parliamentarian, Minister of Justice and Attorney General and founder of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, whose Board Jay now Chairs. Cotler has had an immense impact on Jay’s life, not to mention the lives of millions of people all over the world. Today, their relationship is still going strong, with Jay having recently introduced Cotler to another teacher and inspiration of his, Deepak Chopra. The objective? Collaborating on building a more peaceful, just, sustainable, healthy and joyful world.
But what is it exactly that Jay does that has allowed him to become such a transformational figure when it comes to human rights, inclusion, equality, and even music? Well, for one thing, he is world renowned for his work on the annual Rosenzweig Report, which Canadian Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth Marci Ien has called ”a yearly wake-up call that we need to work together to ensure the advancement of women.”
The report, which has been disseminated internationally for 17 plus years, has been endorsed by some of the most influential people on the planet. It tracks gender equality in the C-Suite of Canada’s biggest 100 companies, but has also served as a much larger springboard for advocacy for women’s rights around the world. Back in 2020, Jay said about the reasons that initially lead him to establish the report:
“The idea for the Report reflects my personal belief — supported by a number of studies — that companies benefit from having greater diversity — be it women, individuals of color, indigenous peoples — at the table when reaching business decisions.”
While the quality of the research and the impact behind the Rosenzweig Report were more than enough to cement Jay’s reputation as an effective ally and advocate, his humanitarian work extends far beyond that. Most recently, Jay traveled to Ukraine to bear witness to the crimes of aggression of the Russian Federation, to make important connections on the humanitarian relief front, and to assist with reconstruction and the administration of justice.
During his time in Ukraine, Jay met with important figures including Andriy Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine and Andriy Pyshny, recently appointed Head of The National Bank of Ukraine. Jay presented the leadership in Ukraine with the Raoul Wallenberg Centre For Human Rights analysis of the Russian Federation’s Breaches of the Genocide Convention; Draft Statutes For the Establishment of a Special Tribunal To Investigate the Russian Federation’s Crimes of Aggression; as well as a 10 point action plan for the community of democracies to implement.
A few weeks later, Jay was with the First Lady of Ukraine in New York on the occasion of the United Nations General Assembly. Jay helped organize two important events for the First Lady, one at the offices at JP Morgan, hosted by Jamie Dimon and his wife, and the other at the Met. It was at these events that the first lady unveiled her new Foundation. Attendees included Denys Shmyhal, Ukraine’s Prime Minister; James Cleverly, the British Foreign Secretary; Matt Damon, film maker and humanitarian; Jimmy Fallon, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon host; and Hillary Clinton, former US Secretary of State.
Jay’s successes in business and human rights are disparate and diverse. And where he can, he enjoys combining personal passions with his work. Take his passion for music for example, which led him to get involved in all kinds of cool projects including the iconic Winston House in LA, where he is its original investor; and more recently Pixelnyx, a business at the intersection of music, gaming, metaverse and AI, co-founded by friend Joel Zimmerman (Deadmau5). Jay is delighted to report that Animoca Brands has acquired a majority stake in Pixelnyx.
Most importantly, Jay constantly makes it clear that his most important job is that of a family man, instilling important values in his three children just like his parents did for him.
Jay wrote in 2020: “I try to instill in my children — by speaking with them constantly about these things and also by example — the importance of things like respect for others, including their elders, especially their parents and grandparents; a sense of social justice, including racial injustice; the value of having a good work ethic, including the pride one can take in a job well done…I also talk to them about the value of listening – truly listening – to others. I model this by listening intently to them… because I learn much from them…and about myself. I encourage my kids to pursue their passions, whether it’s arts, sciences, business, whatever makes them feel alive.”