Hero Winner: Ari Teman

By COLlive reporter

The winner of the Jewish Federation’s Community Hero Contest was announced Tuesday: Ari Teman, founder of JCorps and friend of Chabad.

Ari was chosen from five finalists, which included Lubavitchers Devorah Benjamin of Keren Simchas Chosson V’kallah and Rabbi Levi Shemtov, founder of the Friendship Circle.

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.

COLlive profiled Teman as beginning his work while studying at Brandeis University in Massachusetts, where he met Rabbi Peretz Chein and his wife Chanie.

When hostages were being held at the Chabad House in Mumbai, Chein and Teman led an online effort that drove hundreds of phone calls to the White House to demand intervention.

The two also collaborated on a website which enabled kids to sign up for Shabbos meals, Sukkah, and handwashing sinks.

Teman attended the gala banquet of the International Kinus Hashluchim and gave a Dvar Torah at the National College Shabbaton in Crown Heights.

After graduating, Teman has done comedy shows for Chabad institutions, including the Aliya Center in Crown Heights.

Teman will receive $25,000 for his cause.