[6][7] Firestone grew up in North Miami Beach, Florida,[8] where he participated in the B'nai B'rith Youth Organization (BBYO) and an educational study abroad experience through the Alexander Muss High School in Israel program.
This inspired him to write a play called "Trial and Error," which he later produced on dozens of campuses in North America, working with a coalition of diverse student groups to spread the word.
After graduating from the Georgetown University Law Center, Firestone served from 1990 to 1994 as the lead case management associate in complex multinational litigation with Patton Boggs LLP, in Washington, D.C.
During his seven years there, he worked in Jewish communal affairs, high-tech expansion, and academia, including as an administrator and adjunct lecturer at Technion, the Israel Institute of Technology.
[13] In April 2013, Firestone was named President of the Genesis Prize Foundation, which is a $1 million annual award in cooperation with the Israeli Government and the Jewish Agency for Israel.
Beyond demonstrated qualities of achievement and commitment, the Genesis Prize, in keeping with the Jewish values for which it stands, serves to recognize the laureate's contribution to the betterment of mankind.