(Courtesy of Kaplen JCC on the Palisades) Over 100 people gathered in their favorite sports jerseys at the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades on June 10 to celebrate the fourth annual “Sports Night of Champions,” which supports scholarships at the JCC. The evening featured a strolling dinner; a live auction of spectacular sports experiences such as the 2022 MLB All-Star Game, Caves Valley Golf Experience and dinner with NBA All-Stars; and an awards ceremony honoring Tal Brody and the late David Stern, z”l, as the new inductees into the New Jersey Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. The evening’s emcee was Tracy Wolfson, lead sportscaster for CBS Sports.
The 2020 Joseph Taub Scholar Athlete Awards were presented by Steven Rogers, JCC board chair, to two high school seniors, Kenneth Daici and Charlotte Ohnyu Che, for their outstanding achievements in sports and academics. They each received a college scholarship of $3,600. Additional recognition was given to Rebecca Parish and William R. Boyce, Honorable Mention; and Amalya Knapp, David Markovitz, runners-up. The Joseph Taub Scholar Athlete Awards are made possible by the Joseph and Arlene Taub Foundation.
“Deeply rooted in Jewish values and tradition, the JCC is a vibrant home for the Jewish people that welcomes all and cultivates the social, intellectual, physical and spiritual well-being of our entire community,” said Steven Rogers, JCC board chair. “We are thrilled to award a total of $10,080 in college scholarships to six seniors in our community, demonstrating the JCC’s investment in helping young people to achieve their dreams.”
Jeff Levitt, Sports Board co-chair, introduced the new class of 2020 inductees into the New Jersey Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, honoring two men who were and are transformative leaders of professional basketball in the United States and Israel. Otis Birdsong presented the award to David Stern, z”l, former NBA Commissioner who established the NBA as a national brand, which was accepted by his son Eric Stern; Daniel Rubin presented the award to Tal Brody, member of the Israeli Basketball Hall of Fame, who is Israel’s International Ambassador.
“The Sports Night of Champions event is a major JCC fundraiser that provides critical scholarship assistance to families and children who wish to participate in vital programs and services. The night was exciting and successful and exceeded our expectations,” said Jordan Shenker, JCC CEO. “We are proud to honor Tal Brody and David Stern, z”l, as our inductees to this year’s class of the New Jersey Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, and to award college scholarships to student-athletes in our community.”
The evening’s Presenting Sponsors included Michelle and Scott Tesser and Family; and The Taub Family. MVP Sponsors: Englewood Health, The Kaplen Foundation, The Rubach Family, The Uehling and Zoellner Families; All Star Sponsors: The Kurtz and Spadaccini Families; Center Court Sponsors: The Gregory Family, Ronnie and Edward Grossmann, Jamie and Jeff Levitt, Liberman Networks, Marc Rubach/Beth and Josh Rubach; Team Player Sponsors: Jodi and Eric Kleiner, Roberta and Marty Levitt, Jill and Erik Maschler, Jodi and Saul Scherl, Debra Oremland and Arthur Sinensky.
The Sports Night of Champions Board includes Co-Chairs JoJo Rubach and Jeff Levitt, and Committee Members Kenny Albert, Noah Garden, Jeff Kurtz, Steven Rogers, Danny Rubin, Craig Silver, Scott Tesser, Gordon A. Uehling III, Tracy Wolfson and Barry Zeller.
To support future scholarships at the JCC, please contact Alison Holzberg Kenny, JCC director of development, at 201-408-1405 or [email protected].
