Yonah Bookstein
Los Angeles, California
Rabbi Yonah is one of the reasons that thousands of Jews in the SoCal Area are proud to be Jewish on College Campuses, whether it be religiously, culturally, or politically.
The Semi Finalists
Ari Teman
New York, New York
Thousands of young Jewish adults have gotten into volunteering around the world thanks to Ari, founder of JCorps.
Devora Benjamin
Brooklyn, New York
Devora dedicated her time and money to helping young Jewish people without parents or money have special and meaningful weddings.
Rabbi Mendel & Raizy Rubin
Albany, New York
Rabbi Mendel & Raizy invest their time in students' lives, making themselves accessible to both current students and alumni. They have cultivated an environment of community and learning for students on campus.
Rabbi Moishe Engel
Long Beach, California
Rabbi Moishe Engel works tirelessly to further many different aspects of Jewish Education from giving adult education courses to establishing what is now the largest Jewish Children's camp in Southern California.
Shmuly Yanklowitz
New York, New York
As the founder of the Orthodox social justice movement Uri L'Tzedek, Shmuly has inspired thousands to encounter Judaism and their responsibility as global citizens and helped lead the fight for greater transparency and ethical standards in the kosher food industry.
Bentzion Kravitz
Los Angeles, California
Rabbi Kravitz is the founder of Jews for Judaism, an organization dedicated to warding off cults and deceptive missionaries that target the Jewish community.
Benny Zippel
Salt Lake City, Utah
By having patience and diligence, Rabbi Benny has spend his time working with young people suffering from addictions in as well as working with Chabad.
William Levin
Brooklyn, New York
By blending humor and education into video and cartoon animations, William helps Jewish organizations communicate to people in new ways.
Pearl Krasnjansky
Honolulu, Hawaii
Pearl has managed to create a vibrant Jewish community in a place over 5,000 miles from her home in Hawaii.
Chaim Lazaroff
Houston, Texas
When the community was devastated by Hurricane Ike, Chaim and his wife brought in Kosher meals for Shabbos for all these people with no power. and cooked all the food that would go bad
Aryeh Goldsmith
Brooklyn, New York
Aryeh has been using new technologies to help build and strengthen the Jewish community for more than a decade.
Eli Backman
College Park, Maryland
At UMD, Rabbi Backman has made a community where students feel proud to be Jewish and to practice Judaism.
Mike Rovinsky
St. Louis, Missouri
Rabbi Mike is the founding director of Camp Nageela Midwest, a summer camp dedicated to bringing together children from all different backgrounds in order to give them both a sense of Jewish pride.
Rabbi Levi Shemtov
West Bloomfield, Michigan
Rabbi Levi Shemtov together with his wife Bassie founded and run the ever growing Friendship Circle, an International organization dedicated to Children with special needs and their families.
Alex Budnitsky
Brooklyn, New York
Alex is a former reporter who now helps Jewish immigrants and is now the COO of the Edith and Carl Marks Jewish Community House of Bensonhurst.
Mendel Rivkin
New Orleans, Louisiana, Louisiana
Mendel is program director for Chabad of Louisiana and does programs all across the state including organizing the historic Unity Shabbat.
Rabbi Ephraim Simon
Teaneck, New Jersey
Rabbi Simon, who runs many programs to improve the community where he runs a synagogue, just underwent surgery to donate his kidney to a complete stranger to save their life.
Sharon Weiss-Greenberg
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Sharon has impacted the lives of thousands of young Jewish individuals over the years. As the Rosh Moshava at Camp Stone for the past two summers, Sharon has demonstrated true leadership and vision.
Rabbi Manis Friedman
St. Paul , Minnesota
Rabbi Friedman is a noted Biblical scholar, recognized for his sagacious grasp of Jewish mysticism. In 1971, he founded the world's first yeshiva exclusively for women, where he continues to serve as dean.
