Community of Caring – Meet our Heroes

to Honor and to Celebrate

The Jewish Federation of Ocean County’s Fourth Annual Community of Caring celebration will recognize this year’s Heroes Against Hate, individuals and organizations in Ocean County that stand up to hate in all its forms and serve as role models and leaders for our community.

We are pleased to honor the following upstanders this year as Heroes Against Hate. The Jewish Federation will make a contribution in honor of each of our Heroes to their organizations or a charity of their choice.

Individual Upstander Awards

Dr. Henry Jackson has been a strong partner to the Jewish Federation’s community engagement and combatting hate initiatives. As a key professional at Ocean County College engaging with local high schools and leadership, as well as organizing enrichment programs at the College, Dr. Jackson has been a leader in educating about respect for difference and ways to combat hate in all its forms, including racism, bigotry, and antisemitism.

Avi Kotler is a proud member of the Orthodox Jewish Community in Ocean County – and he is also proud to devote volunteer efforts to building bridges between his community and other communities and groups in the County. Avi has volunteered with the Jewish

Federation and helped bring a group of participants to the rally for Israel after October 7 on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Through his involvement with One Ocean County, Avi has promoted efforts to help the homeless in our area and created a coalition of diverse partners while doing so, such as through the Homeless Super Bowl event that he organized.

Reisa Sweet marched during the Civil Rights Movement and has led a life marked by a commitment to building bridges between people of diverse communities to eliminate hate, bias, injustice, and discrimination. She is the current chair and longtime member of the Ocean County Human Relations Commission, focused on preventing bias crime and encouraging community members to be upstanders. We want to encourage Reisa to continue her important work and to continue to be a voice for tolerance and understanding in our community.

Public Leadership Upstander Award

Chief Gregory Meyer, the police chief in Lakewood Township, started a coalition in his town to bring together the varied community constituencies. Lakewood is home to diverse populations that often remain isolated from each other despite living in close proximity. The coalition meets quarterly at the Strand Theater, and the model he created was so successful that other towns have copied it.

After 30 years of service and dedication to the agency, Captain Gregory Meyer became Chief of Police of the then 135-member police department in August of 2016. Chief Meyer has continued the department’s rich tradition of service to the community of over 130,000 residents and has grown the agency to over 160 full-time sworn members and a staff of over 50 civilians making the Lakewood Police Department the second largest in Ocean County.

Organizational Upstander Award

Saint Junipero Serra Parish is a Christian community in the Roman Catholic Church reflecting the Franciscan traditions of charity and humility. The Parish is a bilingual and multi-cultural parish, working together in a shared love of God and a love of their neighbors. Nourished by God’s Word and Sacraments, Saint Junipero Serra Parish seeks to mirror God’s love in the world by serving our sisters and brothers in need, by reverencing the dignity of every human person and by pursuing the common good for all of God’s children and God’s creation.

After October 7, 2023, the Parish showed support for the local community affected by that tragic day, putting up banners calling for peace with Father Michael sharing a message about the deep meaning of “shalom.” They have stained glass windows with the Star of David and the Ark of the Covenant, and they call the Jewish

community their “brothers and sisters.” The Parish is an example of sharing hope and love for all, embodying the idea that hate has no home in our community.

Student Leadership Upstander Award

Ariel Ifrah, a student at Rutgers University from Jackson, is being honored because of his activism supporting Israel through the Rutgers University Student Assembly, as a member of Students Supporting Israel, for hosting a pro-Israel gathering at his off-campus home, and for volunteering in Israel this summer. Rutgers Hillel recommended him for this honor.

At a time when anti-Israel sentiment and antisemitism are widespread on college campuses, including at Rutgers, it is important to encourage and recognize student leaders who stand up for their beliefs and their friends and family in Israel – educating their fellow students while also making a statement that hate, bias, and double-standards have no place on campus.

Join us in person at our Community of Caring event on Wednesday, December 18 at 5:30 PM; tickets are available for $54/person or $100/couple at www.jewishoceancounty.org/communitycaring. See pages 16-17 for more information and registration or call the Jewish Federation of Ocean County office at 732363-0530.\