Jeff Rudy, Neighbor

The weekend following the September 11th tragedy in New York City began a journey for Jeff that led to the founding of Where Peace Lives in 2006 with his partners Donna and Jeff Clapp. That weekend he was supposed to begin a 6-month leadership program in Landmark Education's New York City Center in one of the towers. Instead he joined 400 people from Canada down the East Coast to Washington, D.C. in the organization's New Jersey Center. At the end of the program, he took on being a Voice of Peace. After talking Peace for two years, he met the Clapp's at a Landmark Education Seminar and began conversations that would lead incorporation of Where Peace Lives.

He began giving back to community as a Boy Scout working with a child with Muscular Dystrophy. The impact of that experience gave him a greater sense that that there always people out there less fortunate than himself.

A graduate of Santa Monica College, Jeff first career was as an award-winning sports editor for the Irvine World News. He established the Irvine World News Basketball Tournament to help raise funds for the community's three high school sports programs. It is now in its 28th year.

In 1990 he was invited to become a member of the Rotary Club of Hillside, NJ. He served on the executive board as vice president and them as president. Rotary's commitment to local communities as well as its global presence truly was inspirational and led to Jeff's expanded view of the world.

Jeff was a founding member of the Young Leadership Division of the Jewish National fund of America in 1992, serving on the board through 1996. He was the National Chairperson for the annual Young Leadership Division trip to Israel in 1996. He also served as NJ's regional president and a national board member through 2000. As a national board member Jeff played an important role in the transforming the organization to an accountable and fiscally transparent non-profit organization. He helped usher in new leadership both the executive board and the lay leadership.

It is his dream to empower all children to be a voice for peace in their own lives; families, schools, communities and the world. Jeff also is driven to make sure their voices are heard, altering the conversation for Peace being spoken by our world leaders.

He asks,"What would be different if our world leaders entered conversations to end conflicts only present to the impact on the children?"