ENACT Honors Abraham Feinberg
Brandeis University is pleased to announce that ENACT: The Educational Network for Active Civic Transformation has been renamed ENACT: The Abraham Feinberg Educational Network for Active Civic Transformation to honor the late Abraham Feinberg.
“ENACT's mission to teach college students about democracy through engagement with the state legislative process enriches the lives of our undergraduates, even as it continues to organize and educate at a national level,” said Provost Carol A. Fierke, PhD ’84. “This is a matter of great pride for Brandeis and we are honored to associate the program with Abraham Feinberg’s name and legacy.”
During his long relationship with Brandeis University, Abraham Feinberg served as a Brandeis fellow and as a member and chair of the Board of Trustees, and was awarded an honorary doctorate in 1961. He was a substantial force in shaping the University during its early years.
A generous gift from Feinberg established the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life (the Ethics Center) in 1998. Then-President Jehuda Reinharz called the establishment of the Center "the fulfillment of a long-held and cherished dream [for which Feinberg’s] … last years were made happier by the thought that he [could] make contributions to … coexistence and ethics around the world."
Feinberg’s support of Brandeis has been carried on by his daughter Judith Schneider and her husband Norbert Weissberg. Both served as Ethics Center International Advisory Board Members prior to the closing of the Center in 2023, and Weissberg now serves as a member of ENACT’s Advisory Board.
A 2015 gift by Schneider and Weissberg established ENACT as a national program. ENACT has grown to reach all 50 states and more than 3,000 undergraduates have enrolled in ENACT courses. Participating schools include public and private institutions, four-year and two-year colleges, large research universities and small liberal arts colleges, HBCUs, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, a United States military service academy and a tribal college.
“With the naming of ENACT: The Abraham Feinberg Educational Network for Active Civic Transformation, Brandeis University and ENACT recognize Abraham Feinberg’s lifelong dedication to the public good and his commitments to Brandeis University as an institution advancing social justice and ethics,” said ENACT Director Melissa Stimell. “We look forward to honoring his legacy by continuing this important work.”