SAN DIEGO (Press Release) – Each year the Jewish Community Foundation San Diego (JCF) facilitates the Peter Chortek Leadership Award (PCLA), an award created by the Chortek Family to foster Jewish communal involvement by rewarding Jewish teens who are practicing Tikkun Olam, repairing the world.
Danielle Boodman is a senior at Canyon Crest Academy and the co-founder of Justice League, a teen-led service program that empowers Jewish high school students to lead volunteer projects. Danielle created an organizational model that can be replicable by other organizations and ensures continuity through leadership development. By creating meaningful service experiences, partnering with local nonprofits, volunteering side-by-side, and reflecting as a group, Danielle is helping teens across San Diego live the values of tikkun olam.
Rebecca Leeman, a senior at Torah High School, brought the David Labkovski Project to San Diego, using art to tell the powerful stories of the Holocaust and Jewish life through the eyes of survivor David Labkovski. Rebecca recruited other high school-aged docents who led interactive tours and workshops during the three-month exhibit at the Gotthelf Art Gallery at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center. Additionally, Rebecca curated an online exhibit of David Lubkovski’s art and contributed to a book about the artist. By turning history into a deeply meaningful learning experience, Rebecca ensures that the lessons of the Holocaust remain vivid and relevant.
The Peter Chortek Leadership Award was established in 2011 by the Chortek Family to honor the late Peter Chortek (z”l). Peter was not religious but was fiercely proud of being Jewish and committed to making a difference. His passion and focus was Jewish education, believing quality Jewish education would help ensure a vibrant Jewish future. For Peter, this meant being supportive of venues that would aid Jewish continuity, such as day schools, Jewish camps, Hillel, Birthright, March of the Living, Jewish Community Centers, and synagogues. A total of 35 awards have been presented to date.
This award recognizes Jewish high school students in San Diego who are making a difference in our community through their innovative leadership. Applicants must 1) Currently be in high school and have organized and led an extraordinary Tikkun Olam project that has benefited their neighborhood, community, environment, or world; 2) Demonstrate initiative, passion, and positive spirit, inspiring others to make a difference and creating awareness about their issue, cause, or project; and 3) Have a long-term vision for growth and sustainability for their work and have been involved with their project for at least one year before submitting an application.
Peter Chortek Leadership Award recipients receive a $9,000 stipend, $540 to establish a Donor Advised Fund at the Jewish Community Foundation, and a professional video made about their project. This year the awards committee, comprised of two generations of the Chortek family and other community leaders, selected two 2025 PCLA recipients.
Applications for the 2026 Peter Chortek Leadership Award will be available as early as September 2025 and will be due January 2026. Students are encouraged to start thinking about service projects that qualify, and those who meet the application criteria are invited to participate in this remarkable opportunity. Competitive applicants for this award will have dedicated significant time and commitment to creating a new project or program to improve their communities, enhancing an existing project, or inspiring many of their peers to get involved in service projects or social justice programs.
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Preceding provided by the Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego.