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Lincoln Park Resident Jimmy Sarnoff Wins Prestigious Jewish Federation Award
Lincoln Park Resident Jimmy Sarnoff Wins Prestigious Jewish Federation Award
Jimmy Sarnoff, 36, of Lincoln Park, received the 50th annual Davis, Gidwitz and Glasser Young Leadership Award at the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago’s 114th Annual Meeting, which took place Sept. 11.
The award honors young volunteers who have demonstrated exemplary dedication and made significant contributions to Chicago’s Jewish community.
Sarnoff joined the YLD board in 2009, where he served as YLD Campaign Chair in 2012 and later as YLD Division President. Sarnoff also chaired YLD’s largest Big Event Fundraiser to date featuring comedian Jimmy Fallon, and founded the now-annual YLD Golf Tournament.
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In addition, Sarnoff is a former participant in YLD’s Gesher leadership program, and was chosen to participate in JUF’s inaugural Jewish Leaders Institute cohort. He has traveled with several JUF missions abroad, including co-chairing the 2014 Nachshon mission to St. Petersburg and Israel, and currently serves on JUF’s Contributor Account Relations Committee. He is also a member of the Jewish Federations of North America’s National Young Leadership Cabinet. In 2012, he was named to YLD and Oy!Chicago’s annual “36 Under 36” list in recognition of his achievements.
Sarnoff’s acceptance speech was a call to action stressing the importance of a strong Jewish community in today’s changing world.
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“Our work is more important now than it has ever been. The Jewish people are not only fighting wars in Israel, but wars in our own country. I am talking about a different kind of war that past generations didn’t have to deal with – I’m talking about a social networking war,” he said in his remarks. “It is up to all of us to fight back and educate the world that never again will we let our people fall. Nobody is going to help the Jews but the Jews ourselves.”
Professionally, Sarnoff is an attorney with Sarnoff & Baccash.
The Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation is one of the largest nonprofit social welfare institutions in Illinois. The organization funds a vital network of agencies that act upon core Jewish values, including caring for people in need and sustaining the Jewish community.
