06/25/2020
Ben Becker Receives the Yanowitz Award for Outstanding Young Community Leadership
- Share This Story
Ben Becker has been awarded the 2019 Bennett z”l and Donna Yanowitz Leadership Award by the Jewish Federation of Cleveland. The award recognizes and honors an outstanding young individual who has demonstrated commitment, involvement, and leadership within Cleveland’s Jewish community. Becker, 32, was presented with the award at the Federation’s virtual Board of Trustees meeting on June 24.
“I am so grateful to be receiving this award,” said Becker. “Philanthropy, volunteerism, and education are values that I share with the Yanowitz family, as well as many past award recipients. I am the person I am today because of these values, which my parents instilled in me, in addition to the numerous strong community institutions that have developed over the past 100 years.”
Becker has had a passion for Jewish communal work for several years and has served the community in a variety of capacities. From 2010 – 2011, Ben was an American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) Jewish Service Corps Fellow in Izmir, Turkey, and engaged this small Jewish community in cultural and religious events. Upon returning to the United States, he continued to fuel his passion in overseas work by serving on Federation’s Overseas Connections Committee, as well as Federation’s Young Leadership Division board and numerous committees that further the Federation’s mission.
Becker is a big brother with Bellefaire JCB’s Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters Association. He also previously served on the Mandel JCC board and as an advisor for BBYO, a Jewish teen movement.
“[My parents] believed very strongly in introducing young people to fulfilling their civic responsibility in the Jewish and general community through volunteering, and more importantly, stepping into leadership roles,” said Alan Yanowitz, who presented Becker with the award. “Ben has distinguished himself as a young leader through his commitment to, and leadership in, our community and beyond.”
An alumni of The Ohio State University, Becker and his wife, Jennie, live in Shaker Heights with their son. The Yanowitz Award has been given annually since the early 1960’s. As recipient of the award, Becker is invited to join the Cleveland delegation to a General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America.
