Finalists Chosen in Second Annual Jewish Community Heroes Campaign

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jewish-community-heroesThe Second Annual Jewish Community Heroes Campaign – for which over 300,000 votes for more than 200 nominees were received – resulted in 20 semifinalists, and now a panel of judges has selected 5 finalists, all of whom will receive a Heroes grant. The judges evaluated the semifinalists based on their efforts to strengthen the Jewish community and uphold the ideals of tikkun olam – repairing the world.

The 2010 Heroes finalists are:

Jay Feinberg is working to grow and diversify the donor base of the bone marrow registry after he himself had trouble finding a match when he was in need. He is working particularly to fight against the devastating effects of the Holocaust, which severed family bloodlines and left many Jews in need with no alternative to searching the unrelated donor pool.

Zvi Gluck has dedicated his life to helping those most in need and most-often forgotten. With the support of his wife Aviva, Zvi is a one-man force devoted to promoting kindness and helping those who have suffered unjustly.

Stephen Kutner founded and now works as the full-time volunteer Medical Director of Jewish Healthcare International, a group that sends healthcare professionals around the world to meet the needs of communities in crisis. Dr. Kutner is an ophthalmologist and worked overseas for many years before founding Jewish Healthcare International at first to help post-Soviet societies in Eastern Europe.

Dmitriy Salita is a champion boxer dedicated to promoting Jewish identity and educating young Jews about Judaism and their common history. Considering his Russian roots, he is particularly dedicated to promoting Jewish learning among Russian Jewish immigrants and has founded the Dmitriy Salita Youth Center to help bring the community together and promote Jewish learning.

Mordechai Tokarsky has dedicated himself to educating young Russian Jewish immigrants about their common history and shared culture after he himself became one of the first Russian-American Jews to receive rabbinic ordination after the fall of the Soviet Union. Rabbi Tokarsky runs a program that gives 18-30 year-olds a semester-long education culminating with a trip to Europe and Israel.

The full list of the 20 2010 Jewish Community Heroes campaign semifinalists are:

1.Mordechai Tokarsky

2.Jay Feinberg

3.Lori Palatnik

4.Rabbi Celso Cukierkorn

5.Stephen Kutner

6.Dmitriy Salita

7.Rabbi Dovid Tiechtel

8.Margie Klein

9.Jodi Samuels

10.Zvi Gluck

11.Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

12.Yisroel Bernath

13.Rabbi Dovid Goldstein

14.Ira Bleiweiss

15.Rivkee Rudolph

16.Laura Baum

17.Vicki Polin

18.Ed Case

19.Fred Taub

20.Daniel Aldrich

The 2010 Jewish Community Hero of the Year will be announced at the JFNA General Assembly in New Orleans from November 7-9.

{Noam Amdurski-Matzav.com Newscenter}


2 COMMENTS

  1. WHY WAS REB PINNY NOT A FINALIST!?!?!?!

    although considering that what such groups call “tkum olam” is probably more in line with keep Reb Sholom locked away for years it shouldn’t have been a surprise… oh well, but I guess it doesn’t hurt to dream

  2. Maybe he didn’t get the votes?
    But maybe it’s like being a semi finalist: you still get recognition and attention for your cause, and B”H the field could have been much worse. Check out the whole list and the top say, 40 or so vote getters and you’ll sleep better tonight.

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