Zevi Nusbaum
JOSEPH TAMMAM MEMORIAL YOUTH COMMUNITY SERVICE SCHOLARSHIP AWARD
Zevi Nusbaum has been an active participant at Congregation Israel of Springfield since his birth and the shul has played a formative role in his upbringing. At the age of two, he was enrolled in “shul school” at CIS, where he had the opportunity to begin learning from Rabbi Marcus in his early years. Growing up, Zevi attended Shabbos groups and now works as a youth group leader, serving as a role model for the children of CIS.
His commitment to davening and the CIS community has strengthened over the years. All through the pandemic, he was an active participant in Zoom/outdoor minyanim and has shown tremendous dedication to maintaining and supporting minyanim outside of school hours. He serves as a regular chazzan at the Shabbos early shacharis minyan and gabbai at the Shabbos early mincha minyan.
Zevi’s leadership roles in tefillah and Judaic studies have left an indelible mark at the Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy/Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School (JKHA/RKYHS) as well. While in middle school at JKHA, Zevi participated in the Bronka Weintraub High School Bekiut program of Yeshiva University, which is a challenging extra-curricular opportunity for students to advance their learning of Gemara, and throughout his years at JKHA/RKYHS, he has regularly led tefillot and leined Torah. Additionally, Zevi was awarded the Shirley and David Osen B'nai Tefillah Award for “exhibiting appropriate decorum and demonstrating exemplary spiritual leadership during tefilla.” Since his sophomore year at RKYHS, amid the pandemic, Zevi has served as a school gabbai and hosted Zoom tefillot for the school.
At this time, Zevi is undecided about where he will attend college in the fall, but his hopes for the future include earning semicha. He is grateful to have grown up in such a warm community and appreciates the support of his family and friends. Zevi is honored to have been chosen as the 2023 recipient of the Joseph Tammam Memorial Youth Community Service Scholarship Award and would like to thank the Tammam family for this special designation as well as wish a mazal tov to this year's Gala Tribute Dinner honorees.