About Doña Gracia Award
The Doña Gracia Award is the international award given by Fundación HispanoJudía (FHJ) to individuals or organizations that, through their actions, represent, defend, and promote the universal values of Judaism.
These values, which include Tzedakah (justice and solidarity), Effort, and Tikkun Olam (repairing the world), are the founding values of the FHJ and the basis of all its educational and cultural programs.
The first Doña Gracia Award was presented in 2023 in New York and was awarded to Stuart Weitzman.
The second Doña Gracia Award was presented in 2024 in Madrid and was awarded to Mauricio and Carlota Botton.
The third edition of the Doña Gracia Award took place in 2025 in Buenos Aires and was awarded to Karina Milei.
1st Doña Gracia Award
Stuart Weitzman
Fundación HispanoJudía awards the 1st Doña Gracia Award to Stuart Weitzman in recognition of his outstanding philanthropic work, his commitment to the memory of the Holocaust and his active defense of the Jewish legacy through art, education and culture.
About Stuart Weitzman
Stuart A. Weitzman is a renowned American designer and entrepreneur, famous for his luxurious shoes that combine elegance, comfort, and innovation.
Founder of the eponymous brand, he has dressed celebrities on red carpets around the world. In addition to his work as a designer, he is a prominent philanthropist and collector, known for his support of education, the history of footwear, and the preservation of cultural heritage, especially related to the Jewish people and historical philately.
He was the first recipient of the Doña Gracia Award, presented by Fundación HIspanoJudía in 2023, for his support of Museo HispanoJudío.
2nd Doña Gracia Award
Mauricio & Carlota Botton
Fundación HispanoJudía awards the 2nd Doña Gracia Award to Mauricio and Carlota Botton in recognition of their tireless philanthropic commitment to education, science and the preservation of the Judeo-Spanish legacy.
About Botton Carasso family
Mauricio Botton is the grandson of Isaac Carasso, who founded Danone in 1919 in the Raval neighborhood of Barcelona by launching a yogurt with medicinal properties.
Mauricio Botton Carasso was Director of Research and Development and Quality Control at Danone Spain for 30 years.
At the same time, he served as Secretary of the Board of Directors until 2015.
Since then, all his interests and efforts have been focused on the Foundation he created, the Mauricio and Carlota Botton Foundation.
Mauricio and Carlota Botton have been honorary members of the board of trustees of Fundación HIspanoJudía since 2018.
3rd Doña Gracia Award
Karina Elizabeth Milei
Fundación HispanoJudía awards the 3rd Doña Gracia Award to Karina Elizabeth Milei in recognition of her commitment to the defense of freedom and her firm support for Jewish communities and the State of Israel.
About Karina Milei
Karina Milei holds a degree in Public Relations from the Argentine University of Business (UADE) and a technical degree in Advertising from the University of Belgrano.
The younger sister of Argentine President Javier Milei, she played a central role in organizing his political career and the 2023 presidential campaign that brought La Libertad Avanza (Freedom Advances) to power.
Since December 2023, she has served as Secretary General of the Presidency of the Nation, becoming the first woman to hold that position.
Currently, she is one of the leading figures in La Libertad Avanza and plays a prominent role in the organization and political expansion of the movement at the national level.
La Fundación HispanoJudía concede el 2º Premio Doña Gracia a Charlotte y Mauricio Botton en reconocimiento a su incansable compromiso filantrópico hacia la educación, la ciencia y la preservación del legado Judeoespañol.
Who was Doña Gracia Nasi?
Gracia Nasi was one of the most influential, philanthropic, and courageous Jewish women of all time.
Born into a secret Jewish family in Portugal in 1510, she was given the legal name Beatriz de Luna and her secret Jewish name Gracia Nasi. Following the establishment of the Portuguese Inquisition in 1536, she was forced to flee Lisbon. After navigating treacherous political waters, the family eventually settled in Venice, where they continued to practice crypto-Judaism while maintaining a Catholic facade. After the Venetian court became embroiled in a family inheritance dispute, Gracia Nasi moved her family and their property to Ferrara, where they lived openly as Jews for the first time.
She was an active supporter of literary activities among the Jews of Ferrara and also played a pivotal role in financing and organizing the transport and resettlement of converts fleeing Portugal. In 1552, the family moved to Constantinople.
Gracia Nasi assumed a leading role in the Sephardic world of the Ottoman Empire, providing aid to Jews in need, supporting rabbinical scholars, and founding synagogues.
Picture: Agnolo Bronzino – Young woman and child. c.1540. National Gallery of Arts