12-18-09 | Source: NYBlueprint

So what do you say to the president when you’re a Jewish comedian and you’re invited to celebrate Chanukah in a ceremony at The White House? Do you go for a casual hello or a zinger? “I’m definitely thinking about it and I’ll have to see how it goes,” says 27-year-old Ari Teman. But when he meets President Obama this week, he may go with this one: “I’m a Republican- It''s not a political thing I just don''t like helping people.” The Brandeis University graduate who lives in Manhattan’s west village said he was happy to get the call to visit the White House. “I was a little surprised, but I knew I wasn’t being punked,” Teman said. The reason Teman thought it might be a possibility is that he recently won the Jewish Community Hero of The Year Award after more than 500,000 online votes as part of an initiative to highlight volunteerism. The contest was run by the Jewish Federations of North America. Read More »

11-19-09 | Source: Chabad.org

The votes are in, and the five individuals who could be revealed as the No. 1 hero of North American Jews include a woman who ensures that thousands of needy brides and grooms have the best wedding possible; a comedian whose non-profit has delivered some 21,000 meals to the hungry in just two years; a rabbinical student trying to institute ethical oversight of kosher businesses; a blogging rabbi behind one of the largest Jewish college festivals; and a Chabad-Lubavitch emissary who founded the Friendship Circle, a program dedicated to changing the way society interacts with children with special needs. Read More »

11-19-09 | Source: NY Jewish Week

At the Jewish Federations of North America General Assembly in Washington, D.C., last week, the Jewish Federations of North America named Ari Teman its “Jewish Community Hero of the Year.” Teman, 27, is a comedian, serial entrepreneur and the founder of JCorps, a nondenominational Jewish volunteer organization that connects thousands of 18- to 28-year-olds with volunteering opportunities in 11 cities across the globe. In 2008, The Jewish Week featured Teman in its annual “36 Under 36” list, highlighting young Jews who are retooling Jewish life. We caught up with him to find out what he plans to buy with the $25,000 prize and how he envisions the future of Jewish volunteerism. Read More »

11-19-09 | Source: Jerusalem Post

The Jewish Federations of North America named its first-ever "Jewish Community Hero" last week, at its General Assembly in Washington. Ari Teman founded JCorps, which organizes community service events in the US (New York, Washington, Los Angeles and Denver/Boulder), Canada (Montreal and Toronto), Britain (London) and Israel (Jerusalem and Tel Aviv), and is run entirely by volunteers. Teman was chosen from 400 candidates and received a $25,000 prize. Immediately after the New York-based stand-up comedian won the prize, JCorps's Jerusalem branch began to feel the effects. Read More »

11-13-09 | Source: JTA News Service

NEW YORK (JTA) -- After weeks of deliberation and the tally of more than 600,000 online votes, the Jewish Federations of North America has named its first Jewish Community Hero -- Ari Teman, the founder of JCorps. A panel of judges from outside the federation system chose Teman, 27, for the $25,000 Jewish Community Heroes prize after whittling down a list of more than 400 nominees. The Jewish Federations announced the choice Tuesday at the closing plenary session of its General Assembly conference in Washingon. The contest was part of the federation system's new multimillion-dollar marketing and rebranding strategy to broaden its base of support.  Read More »

11-11-09 | Source: Houston Chronicle

The United Jewish Campaign and the Jewish Federations of North America have launched their first Jewish Community Hero Awards, a national hunt for a person who has made a difference in the community. One of the 20 semifinalists chosen from 430 nominees, and the only representative of Houston, is Chaim Lazaroff. The 32-year-old is rabbi and director of Chabad of Uptown, 4311 Bettis, near Westheimer and Midlane, which serves residents of Uptown/Galleria and the Memorial, River Oaks and Bellaire areas. Lazaroff, his wife, Chanie, and their four children live in the area as well. Lazaroff is a member of the Chabad Lubavitch movement, an orthodox branch of Judaism. He was raised in Houston and is the son of Rabbi Shimon Lazaroff, the founder of Chabad Lubavitch Center, which is the Texas regional headquarters. Read More »

11-04-09 | Source: Chabad.org

The votes are in, and the five individuals who could be revealed as the No. 1 hero of North American Jews include a woman who ensures that thousands of needy brides and grooms have the best wedding possible; a comedian whose non-profit has delivered some 21,000 meals to the hungry in just two years; a rabbinical student trying to institute ethical oversight of kosher businesses; a blogging rabbi behind one of the largest Jewish college festivals; and a Chabad-Lubavitch emissary who founded the Friendship Circle, a program dedicated to changing the way society interacts with children with special needs. Read More »

10-30-09 | Source: Chabad.org

When the umbrella organization of North American Jewish communities launched its new campaign to shine a spotlight on local leaders and activists, few people thought the Internet-based Jewish Community Heroes contest would have quite the impact or buzz it’s garnered for several months, least of all the 20 top vote-getters announced this month. Rabbi Moshe Engel, whose work to make Jewish educational and communal programming more inclusive earned him 22,111 votes out of more than 500,000 cast, and fifth place, echoed similar sentiments when he said that he was honored to be among a cadre of well-deserving nominees.  Read More »

10-27-09 | Source: COLlive

Out of 20 candidates, 12 Lubavitch rabbis and activists are vying for the title of Jewish Community Hero by the UJC - Jewish Federations of North America. A $25,000 prize for their cause is at stake. But COLlive has learned that members of the Chabad House at Brandeis University are rooting for Ari Teman who came in at 2nd place. Teman, a stand-up comedian in New York City, founded JCorps, motivating Jewish young adults into volunteering in their local communities. Active in four countries and eight cities, the volunteers have fed over 21,000 meals to the hungry and visited hundreds of seniors and sick children. And he owes it all to Chabad.  Read More »

10-23-09 | Source: The Forward

JFNA, the federation umbrella group, had invited Web surfers to nominate and vote for their favorite Jewish activists and organizers. The winner will be named Jewish Community Hero of the Year at the JFNA’s General Assembly in November and will receive $25,000 in funding for his or her project. More than 400 names were submitted in the open nomination process, which ended on September 22. And it’s clear from the results that some constituencies followed the old admonition to “vote early and often.” This was an election for the Web savvy. The top vote- getter was Rabbi Yonah Bookstein, organizer of the annual Jewlicious Festival in Long Beach, Calif., and executive rabbi of JConnectLA, an outreach and networking organization for young Jewish professionals. Bookstein received 91,450 votes, nearly twice the number of the second-place vote- getter and more than 10 times the number of the 20th-place vote-getter.  Read More »

10-21-09 | Source: Talkline with Zev Brenner

Click here to listen to an interview about Jewish Community Heroes campaign on the 'Talkline with Zev Brenner' radio show. Interviewed is Andy Neusner, UJC's Web content manager. (originally aired on 620 AM NY, 1360 AM Miami on 9/30/09)  Read More »

10-08-09 | Source: Louisville Courier Journal

A second candidate from Louisville also is seeking online votes to become a National Jewish Community Hero, a designation that allows the winner to direct $25,000 to a favorite charity. Amy Shir, a consultant in asset building to help low income people build wealth, is seeking nominations for the contest sponsored by United Jewish Communities. Shir has worked for more than 20 years to help create economic opportunities for the poor, according to the organization. Shir, along with Amy Benovitz, a local assistant county attorney and longtime volunteer, have been nominated as candidates for the award. Read More »

10-08-09 | Source: J. the Jewish news weekly of Northern California

What does a Jewish Community Hero actually do? In the Bay Area, they teach cooking classes to children, practice law, write books, advocate for LGBT Jews and make people laugh as a stand-up comedian. Nineteen Bay Area Jews were nominated for the Jewish Community Heroes award, an interactive Web initiative that seeks to identify North America’s top Jewish hero. More than 400 people were nominated as part of the campaign, which was organized by the United Jewish Communities, the North American arm of the federation system. “Never in my wildest dreams did we think we would get so many nominations,” said Andy Neusner, Web content manager for UJC. “I guessed we’d get about 50 nominations. I’m happy to be pleasantly wrong on that one.” So far, more than 400,00 votes have been cast. Read More »

10-08-09 | Source: Philadelphia Jewish Exponent

There's still time -- until Oct. 8 -- to vote for your Jewish community hero! The Greater Philadelphia Jewish community is partnering with United Jewish Communities to help recognize unsung heroes -- men and women of all ages who place the needs and concerns of others above their own. People across North America are nominating heroes from their communities who best embody the principles of tzedakah and tikkun olam, and voting for them online now through October at: www.jewishcommunityheroes.org.  Read More »

10-08-09 | Source: Deseret News

Rabbi Benny Zippel of Chabad Lubavitch in Salt Lake City has been nominated as a Utah Community Jewish Hero by United Jewish Communities. The Jewish Community Heroes campaign celebrates the selflessness and courage of those who put others before themselves.  Read More »

09-30-09 | Source: Miami Herald

Miriam Klein Kassenoff is hoping you'll vote for her. No, the Miami Beach resident is not running for political office.Rather, she's one of 200 citizens throughout the U.S. nominated for the Jewish Community Hero of the Year award. An author and child refugeeof the Holocaust, Klein Kassenoff serves as director of the Holocaust Studies Summer Teacher Institute and as a Holocaust education specialist for Miami-Dade County Public Schools. She holds a doctorate in education (and did her thesis on Holocaust studies.) Read More »

09-23-09 | Source: North York Mirror / InsideToronto.com

Two North York residents are in the running to become Jewish community heroes. Israel "Yummy" Schachter and Avrum Rosensweig have been nominated for the inaugural Jewish Community Hero Awards, launched by the UJC/The Jewish Federations of North America. The awards celebrate the selflessness and courage of individuals who are bettering their communities through service and outreach. Read More »

09-16-09 | Source: Malibu Times

David Gale, vice president of MTV New Media, has been nominated for national recognition in the first annual Jewish Community Hero Awards for his devotion to improving the lives of youths living with HIV/AIDS. Read More »

09-16-09 | Source: The Jewish Week (NY)

Who’s your Jewish hero? Someone who founds a yeshiva or works against Christian missionaries, who serves as an organ donor or as a volunteer at a cancer center, who starts an orphanage for African children or helps the homeless in the U.S.? If you have a hero, you have a month to make a choice in United Jewish Communities’ first annual Jewish Community Hero Awards. Read More »

09-16-09 | Source: Hartford Courant 'Fear, Itself' blog

She's the tireless leader of the epicenter of Hartford's cool, Charter Oak Cultural Center, and she's in the running as a Jewish Community Hero award with the Jewish Federations of North America... Why would you vote for her? Because Rabbi Berman cares. Because she doesn't give up and she doesn't give in and there's some question as to whether she ever sleeps, given the hours she gives to the city. Need more reason? Because if she wins, the center will get $25,000 for more fabulous programs. Do it. Do it!  Read More »