The Web 2.0 Awards for Jewish Community Heroes
Wednesday, August 5th, 2009 | posted byDo Good. Share this post across the internet! Try it :) 
Jewish Community Heroes - Who is your Hero?
In recent years there has been a trend to divide social activists generationally. Encouraging the the NextGen of Jewish leaders is particularly popular and there are a host of awards and honor rolls singling out the under 40s, such as The Jewish week’s 36 under 36, JVibes 18 under 18 and more. This may be a reaction to an overall older leadership dominating most major organizations and an attempt to keep the Jewish community relevant and open to younger people interested in Tikkun Olam, but it does tend to divide social entrepeneurs according to age-based definitions.
So it is refreshing to see that the UJC’s new campaign encourages us to honor our local heroes, whatever their age, across the USA and Canada. Nominees start as young as 13 year old Spencer Tweedy and so far reach until 82 year old David N. Pincus.
The Jewish Community Heroes website states that it, “Celebrates the selflessness and courage of those who put others before themselves. This is our community’s opportunity to shine a national spotlight on the unsung, whether their work impacts five people or 5,000. Over the next three months, anyone across North America can go online, submit nominations and vote for the candidates they believe best embody the spirit of the award.
Anyone can nominate their hero, whether it is their neighbor who runs non-profit bake sales, a teacher building a school for the underserved, the entrepreneur who donates services to neighborhood development or a community organizer who brings people together. The nomination will give more than just internet fame (which is always helpful), the five finalists will be honored at the UJC General Assembly in Washington, D.C. in November and one of them will be named the Jewish Community Hero of the Year and receive up to $25,000 in funding for their work.
In the lead right now is Ari Teman, founder of JCorps, which has fed over 21,000 meals to the hungry and visited hundreds of seniors and sick children in the USA, Israel, and Canada. JCorps groups Jewish young adults of all denominations together to help in hunger-relief, childrens hospitals, senior centers, and park and environmental projects. Events are on Sundays (Fridays in Israel) or week nights, are always free, and last for a few hours. JCorps has enabled thousands of Jewish college students and young adults to make new friends and connectons while helping to improve their cities. JCorps is now active in four countries and eight cities.
Ari is followed closely by 19 year old Gabrielle Flaum, a 19 year old sophomore at John Hopkins University who founded S.O.S. Save Our Soldiers, a teen advocacy group dedicated to the three Israeli soldiers kidnapped in the 2006 Lebanon War. Senator Tom Kean describes Gabrielle as “A teen [who] is so committed to social justice, equality and the concept of freedom for all. Thanks to her determination and her leadership, her group, S.O.S., helped inspire the passage of a resolution through the New Jersey Assembly and the New Jersey Senate. This resolution, which mirrors UN Resolution 1701 in calling for the unconditional release of 3 kidnapped soldiers, was the first of its kind to be passed by a legislature in the country. And it was in large measure to Gabrielle’s unwavering commitment to this cause. “
Do you know someone making a difference? Nominate them today!
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