The main outdoor pool (now fully heated), Splash Pad, and the Duck Pool will be open today (6/5) from 4-7 pm! The Baby Pool will be closed. Click here to view the outdoor pool schedule.

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Introducing The Kurtz Family New Jersey Jewish Sports

Hall of Fame

Founded in 2019

About Us

The Kurtz Family New Jersey Jewish Sports Hall of Fame was founded in 2019 to honor Jewish athletes and others in the world of sports who have distinguished themselves in and around New Jersey.

A permanent home for the Hall of Fame museum is in the planning stages and will be located at the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades in Tenafly, New Jersey.

The Nomination Process

The nomination and induction process is overseen by a Board of Governors, which is comprised of leaders in the field of sports from across New Jersey and beyond.


Inductees must:

  • Be Jewish
  • Have outstanding accomplishments as an athlete coach, member of the sports media, or sports administrator/executive
  • Demonstrate excellence in leadership, sportsmanship and character

Have (at least one of the following):

  • Been born and/or raised in New Jersey or lived in New Jersey for a minimum of four years
  • Played for or otherwise been involved with a high school, college or professional sports team that is located in New Jersey
  • Played for or otherwise been involved with a major professional sports team that
  • Is/was located in the vicinity of New jersey
  • Has/had a significant New Jersey fan base

2024 Inductees

Bruce Beck

Recipient of eight New York Sports Emmys, New Jersey resident Bruce Beck has been honored as the top local sports anchor in the country. Beck has been named the New York State Sportscaster of the Year nine times and the New Jersey Sportscaster of the Year twice.

Noah Garden

Noah Garden was elevated to Deputy Commissioner of Major League Baseball in 2024, overseeing the league’s revenue-generating departments and marketing. Garden, a resident of Tenafly, NJ, has led MLB to reach an all-time high in business and media revenue.

Donna Orender

Donna Orender served as president of the WNBA after an all-star career with the New York Stars and New Jersey Gems of the Women’s Pro Basketball League and was captain of Team USA at the Maccabiah Games. Orender also served as Senior VP of Strategic Development for the PGA.

2023 Inductees

Jerry Izenberg

Jerry Izenberg’s sports writing career with the Newark Star-Ledger spanned seven decades, during which he covered the first 53 Super Bowls, 58 Kentucky Derbies, numerous Olympics, World Cups and boxing matches. His memoir, one of 17 books he authored, is entitled “Baseball, Nazis, and Nedick’s Hot Dogs: Growing Up Jewish in the 1930s in Newark.

Galit Chair Moracci

Born in Paramus, NJ, Galit Chait Moracci represented Israel from 1995 to 2006 as a competitive ice dancer, winning the bronze medal at the 2002 World Championships. The flag bearer for Israel at the 2002 and 2006 Winter Olympics, she has also served as the head coach of the Israeli figure skating team.

Morris “Moe” Berg

Raised in Newark, NJ and known as “the brainiest guy in baseball,” Moe Berg played catcher for MLB teams including the Brooklyn Robins and the Washington Senators from 1923 to 1939. After finishing his baseball career, he served as an OSS spy in Europe during World War II and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

2022 Inductees

Kenny Albert

Closter, New Jersey resident Kenny Albert is one of the few broadcasters in history who has handled play-by-play for the NFL, NHL, NBA and MLB. The two-time National Sports Emmy Award nominee is the longtime radio voice of the New York Rangers and serves as a TV play-by-play announcer for the New York Knicks.

Tal Brody

Long-time New Jersey resident Tal Brody—Israel’s Mr. Basketball—was named NCAA First-Team All-American in 1965 and was the No. 12 pick in the NBA Draft that year, but instead chose to play professionally in Israel for Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Jeff Bukantz

Montville, New Jersey resident and eight-time United States National Team Foil Champion Jeff Bukantz has twice served as captain of the United States Olympic Fencing team. He also serves as President of Maccabi USA.

Jeff Kurtz

A versatile all-around athlete, Alpine, New Jersey resident Jeff Kurtz won national championships in 1987, 1989 and 1991 as a member of the University of Miami football team and also played on the University’s tennis team. Kurtz is a prolific philanthropist.

2020 Inductees

Leonard Rubin

Leonard Rubin, a lifelong resident of New Jersey, established the Rubin Run in 1981 to encourage and promote healthy living. A prominent philanthropist and community leader, he was one of the visionary founders of the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades.

David Stern

David Stern, who grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey, is widely considered the greatest league commissioner in the history of professional sports. He was the NBA commissioner from 1984 to 2014 and was the driving force in the creation and launch of the WNBA in 1997.

2019 Inductees

Joseph Taub

Paterson, New Jersey native Joseph Taub was a principal owner of the New Jersey Nets, and served as the team’s President. A towering presence in the sports community and beyond, organizations of all types benefitted from Taub’s many philanthropic activities.

Yael Averbuch West

Professional soccer player and Montclair, New Jersey native Yael Averbuch West played for the United States Women’s National Soccer Team from 2007 to 2013. West was selected in the first round of the 2009 draft by her home state team, Sky Blue FC—now known as Gotham FC—the NY/NJ entrant in the National Women’s Soccer League.

Tracy Wolfson

Tenafly, New Jersey resident Tracy Wolfson is a multiple Emmy-nominated sports broadcaster for CBS Sports serving as he lead reporter for the NFL on CBS and CBS’ NCAA Men’s Basketball coverage including March Madness and the Final Four.

The Kurtz Family New Jersey

Jewish Sports Hall of Fame

At the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades

All inductees to the Hall of Fame are recognized and honored yearly at the Kaplen JCC’s Sports Night of Champions celebration, an event that supports scholarships at the Kaplen JCC. It also includes the award presentations, a live auction, and the presentation of the Joseph Taub Scholar Athlete Awards, which are awarded to graduating high school seniors in recognition of their excellence in sports, academics and in their communities.

join us in recognizing and honoring this year’s inductees at

Sports Night of Champions

The next Hall of fame induction ceremony will place in 2026 – stay tuned for information/details.

The Kurtz Family NJ Jewish Hall of Fame at the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades

Chair

Daniel Zausner


Committee

Kenny Albert

Noah Garden

Scott Tesser

Tracy Wolfson

Sports Night of 
Champions Committee

Kenny Albert

Dan Cohn

Noah Garden

Jeff Levitt*

JoJo Rubach

Daniel Rubin

Tracy Wolfson

Barry Zeller


*Honoree Committee Chair