Jay Feinberg (l) accepts the 2016 Community Leadership Award from Daniel Rothner (r). 

Gift of Life CEO and Founder Jay Feinberg was awarded the 2016 Community Leadership Award at Areyvut’s Fifth Annual Bergen County Breakfast, held at Congregation B’nai Yeshurun in Teaneck, N.J. on Sunday, May 15. Also recognized was 16-year-old Lillian Pravda, named as the 2016 Young Leadership Awardee.

“I am honored to receive Areyvut’s Community Leadership Award,” said Feinberg. “Gift of Life was founded with the same core values of chesed [kindness], tzedakah [charity], and tikkun olam [social action] that Areyvut instills in the lives of Jewish youth. It has been an honor to work on service learning projects and witness the impact our organizations have in making the world a better place.”

Gift of Life has a long-standing partnership with Areyvut, a non-profit organization established in 2002. Areyvut offers Jewish day schools, congregational schools, synagogues, community centers, and individual families with a variety of opportunities to empower and enrich their youth.

Teens involved in Areyvut’s philanthropy programs and children’s service learning projects have participated in swabbing and fundraising drives for Gift of Life. Through their participation in meaningful, fun, and unique programming, youth become involved and come to realize the immense power they have to make their community and the world a better place. In addition, Areyvut regularly participates in Gift of Life’s annual Steps for Life 5K in New Jersey, and supplies Mitzvah clowns for the event.

“I initially met Jay in 1995 and he has been a model and inspiration to me,” said, Areyvut’s Founder and Director Daniel Rothner. “So many people have friends or relatives or know of people whose lives have been saved by Jay and Gift of Life. He is literally a life-saver who has transformed the community. He engages, motivates and inspires others to action and we are thrilled to have been able to recognize his achievement.”

New York resident Pravda, founded Vision For and From Children, a U.S.-based global non-profit whose mission is to provide eye surgeries and medical care for children who can’t access such services. So far, the organization has helped more than 26,000 children in the United States and elsewhere.