The second-annual Jewish Community Heroes campaign organized by The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) celebrates the selflessness and courage of those who put others before themselves.
From the semifinalists—the top 20 nominations voted on by the public via the online vote—a panel of judges selects the five finalists, all of whom receive a Heroes grant.
Voting ends October 8. You may vote once a day for each Hero.
Pinny Lipshutz
Monsey, New York
Rabbi Pinny Lipshutz has devoted countless hours to the cause of Sholom Rubashkin.
“Pinny Lipshutz (a litvishe) has truly taken a lead role in helping Sholom Mordechai by spreading awareness, truly making this a “jewish issue” instead of a “rubashkin issue” and has PERSONALLY raised over a million dollars for his defense fund,” wrote Mrs. Leah Rubashkin. “Our gratitude to him for helping a fellow Jew (a Lubavitcher!) is infinite.”
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Noach Pawliger
Brooklyn, New York
Noah is fully dedicated to helping people recognize how great it is to be Jewish, and to appreciate their heritage. Many people do that, but Noach does it for all different types of Jews. He leads Birthright trips to Israel for typical or special needs persons, CTEEN, college level programs, and friendship circle programs.
Noah recently indicated that his goal is to eventually open a special needs summer camp and a new Friendship Circle with his new wife.
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Dmitriy Salita
Brooklyn, New York
Observant Russian Jewish boxer Dmitriy Salita is a true role model and hero to his generation. Dmitriy Salita is the first religious boxer in the world. As an amateur, Dmitriy won USA boxing championships and forfeited to compete in the World Boxing Championship held in Budapest, Hungary because it was held on Shabbos. Over the course of his professional career, he has continued to refuse to fight on Shabbos. Dmitriy always carries an Israeli flag into the ring and proudly supports many Jewish causes.
Dmitriy is very involved with many Jewish organizations, including Ezra, Chabad and other Jewish youth organizations.
Rabbi Dovid Goldstein
Houston, Texas
Rabbi Goldstein, known to everyone as the “redheaded rabbi”, is everywhere! The only Jewish Chaplain in Texas, he visits over 100 inmates every week and personally makes sure they have kosher food, tefillin, holiday services, you name it. When he’s not at the “prison”, he running his own Chabad House — the Chai Learning Center of West Houston which houses a Hebrew School, Torah Classes, Holiday services and more.
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Yisroel Bernath
Montreal, Quebec
In just over 2 years, Rabbi Yisroel Bernath has transformed the Montreal Young Adult Scene. From his centre in the heart of the trendy Monkland Village, Rabbi Bernath gives classes, organizes social, volunteering, and fundraising events. Rabbi Bernath counsels hundreds of Young Adults and set up many of them on dates and even married many of them off. Rabbi Bernath has broken every stigma attached to rabbis that any young Jew can create and allows us to be active members of the community at large.
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Rabbi Mendy Weiss
Miami Lakes, Florida
Rabbi Weiss’ insatiable desire to give until all has been given, and then give some more is an attribute in danger of extinction. A father of 7 and spiritual leader of hundreds, you’ll always find him in constant movement– running a spiritual marathon. Running to teach Bar Mitzvah classes, visit the sick, help at the Chevra Kadisha with taharas, conduct Shabbat and Holiday services, direct a summer camp, spread words of Torah, and surrender body and soul to altruism.
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Rabbi Dovid Teichtel
Champaign, Illinois
Kosher dining, Shabbat services and meals, leadership workshops, Jewish study, events rallying for Israel, student retreats, barbecues, and Holiday services and meals are only some of the ways Rabbi Dovid changes the world. He once told me, “Changing the world sounds like a lot, but it’s simple; it’s one little act of kindness here, one mitzvah there. That’s how you change the world.” And that is how Rabbi Dovid changes the world, and needless to say those changes are for the better. Through his friendship and caring, Rabbi Dovid truly lives for making the world a better place, one mitzvah at a time.
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If you have other names which you think COLlive.com readers should vote for – add their names and a link to their voting page below:
old student
This guy does some pretty great stuff!
Rabbi Dovid Goldstein works EVERY DAY-24/7 for the ALL the Jews of the Houston Jewish Community! Young, Old, Special Needs, Jewish inmates, East, West, North & South. Every Jew from every background!
We could all take a lesson from this HERO!
I do not think we should even agree to be represented in this group – there are many women rabbis and others who are misguided and working against yiddishkeit (forgot that they’re not talmid chochomim!). Are we on the same page?
I agree with number 47
he does so much he is a teacher my teacher actually he does so much for everybody he also runs an amazing day camp
http://www.jewishcommunityheroes.org/nominees/profile/meir-schuster/
http://www.jewishcommunityheroes.org/nominees/profile/michoel-albukerk/
R’ DOVID GOLDSTIEN DESERVES YOUR VOTES…
SO VOTE FOR THE *REDHEADED RABBI!!!*
When you vote for all of the above dont 4get to also vote for LEAH LARSON (Of yaldah magazine) and MICHAEL ALBEUKERK. It doesnt hurt you to vote so the more people you vote for, the better!! and make sure to vote for everyone once per day, everyday!
I agree that R’ Lipshitz definately deserves our vote for all he did to help Rubashkin but your able to vote for as many as you want each day… so you can vote for him and all the hardworking shluchim and friends of Chabad! Dont limit yourself to vote for only 1 person
You Can Vote for as many as you want but only 1 vote for each one each day! So you can vote everyday for all the ones listed above once!
just click on the link of each name and vote…
You are a true hero, you took a dry and desolate campus and made it a place for Jewish life to thrive!!
VOTE RABBI DOVID TIECHTEL!!!
I would like to thank you for the achdus that you have made amongst yidden!!!!!
You can vote for as many as you’d like so vote for all the listed above…
That should not be too hard..
your my hero always .need any lollypops
http://www.jewishcommunityheroes.org/nominees/profile/noach-pawliger/
leah larson, publisher of yaldah magazine!
http://www.jewishcommunityheroes.org/nominees/profile/leah-larson/
YOUR FAN
D GINZBURG
you are allowed to vote for each one , each day, so do it…..
A well deserved nomination indeed!
Boruch Sholom Wolf
don’t forget: Sara Paris, Michoel Alberkuk and Marilyn Kaplan who is a great supporter of Chabad of Boca
http://www.jewishcommunityheroes.org/nominees/results/d5b39d4bff218a2812e71d71b977cc8e/
rabasshkin needs the miney most so please vote for him!!
Although I applaud the hard and dedicating work of shluchim I believe it is our duty as chassidim. What Rabbi Lishitz has done is go beyond the call of duty for our fellow brother like no other. He has raised awareness to communities that otherwise would have not been involved (even thier youth have raised thousands of dollars). Yasher Koach Rabbi Lifshitz for undertaking this and may we very soon hear good news!
No we vote for them because they are incredible ppl. with deserving causes. In fact, you can vote for more than one cause. Vote every day 🙂
Can you please add rabbi michol albukerk to the list
he is an amazing person and deserves our votes
vote for him!!!!!!!!!!
vote for him!!!!!!!!!
The best shliach in the world. The most dedicated man I know. No one more befitting to win this award.
Go Rabbi Altein. I think everyone should vote for him! He has true Mesiras Nefesh, and has accomplished a lot in Winnipeg with many Baal Teshuvas living in chabad communities around the world! Go Winnipeg! Help support the NEW and OLD Chabad center
rabbi and his family are awesome!!!! vote for him… he needs to get his chabad house running and out of the house
http://www.jewishcommunityheroes.org/nominees/profile/pinny-lipshutz/
Rabbi Weiss has helped countless jews around the united states and most without public knowledge. A true yirei shomayim and wonderful shliach of the Rebbe -one can truely say shluchai adam kemoiso when refering to this TRUE HERO.
GO RABBI MENDY WEISS
u rock!!
congratulations Rabbi Yisroel Bernath!!!
http://www.jewishcommunityheroes.org/nominees/profile
/rabbi-avrohom-altein1/
number 14 Your a disgrace, who told you that none of the people mentioned are Talmidei Chachomim. Why don’t you enquire who these people are? Before you decide who is a Talmud Chachom! I can tell you for example that Rabbi Altein mentioned in comment 11 is a Rav who learn many times better then you! As for comment number 12 & others you have a point however if you have more then one computer & more then one email address you can vote for more then one person at a time every 12 hours, the top 20 people will… Read more »
Rabbi Dovid T…. you are amazing! we’re all voting for u and supporting all that you do for University of Champaign Urbana Illinois!
definitely!
we should vote for them cus you are a wolff fan?
the rubashkin cause is way more beneficial! as well as many others…
all mentioned are great, but it’s a disgrace a a t
talmid hacham is not present here. this is the value we ascribe to learning ??
Pinny rewrote the story of the yidden in exile
vote pinny lifshitz! all the others do good, but as a previous poster wrote, pidyon shvuiim and helping a man like rubashkin deserves all the votes and will show our ahavas chinam for non lubavitchers as well!
http://www.jewishcommunityheroes.org/nominees/profile/rabbi-avrohom-altein1/ Rabbi Avrohom & Brocha Altein came to Winnipeg as newlyweds over 35 years ago. Since then they have reached out and touched thousands of lives. Chabad has a Centre in the North & South Ends, the only kosher Mikvah available, an elementary school & pre-school, summer camp, winter camp, Family Shabbatons, children’s programs, women’s programs, public lectures for all ages and the Jewish Learning Institute, a summer ‘Yeshiva’ that connects people in the community with young Rabbinical students to learn what they wish. Recently, Rabbi Altein purchased a plot of land in South Winnipeg for the purpose of building… Read more »
every one vote for noah pwilger and dovid efune!!
That’s what I say. R. Lip. is helping Sholom Mordechai, and Salita, just to vote.
defietly sholom rubashkin
Dovid Efune is also in the running…!
and i have a rambam to prove it-
HILCHOS MATNOS ANIYIM PEREK CHES HALACHA YUD ALEF the rambam writes that pidyon shvuyim takes precedence over any other mitzva.
so while all the other heroes are doing praiseworthy laudable work- noone’s arguing, and may hashem bless them a thousand times over- only rabbi lipchutz is asuk in pidyon shvuyim!!!!!!!!!!
EVERYONE VOTE FOR RABBI LIPCHUTZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You can vote every 12 hours! So vote for pinny every 12 hours!
no one said but good things about Pinny Lipshitz. Definitely vote for him…i am! if i remember correctly, last year, you can vote for more than one person at a time…
http://sharetabs.com/?voteheros
I think this time I’m not going to vote for the Lubavitchers, Pinny Lipchutz (-the Misnaged), has shown us what it means to have true Ahavas Yisroel.
This is just one small way to thank him for all he has done for Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin.