Jewish ‘heroes’ sought for national award

Who is your hero? The unsung champions of the Jewish world will get a chance to shine in the second annual Jewish Community Hero Awards, aimed at connecting people through social media to recognize those who are helping their communities through volunteer service.

The award comes with a $25,000 grant to advance service work.

Last year’s contest elicited more than 500,000 votes for hundreds of nominees. The top prize went to Ari Teman, founder of the program JCorps, which connects young people to volunteer opportunities around the world.

The Jewish Community Heroes initiative is part of a broad effort by the Jewish Federations of North America to promote public service across the United States and Canada and empower those who give their time and effort to help their communities.

People can nominate and vote online for individuals over age 13 throughout the United States and Canada. Voting ends Oct. 8. For details, visit http://www.jewishcommunityheroes.org.