B’nai B’rith International bestowed the 2025 Label A. Katz Young Leadership Award to five distinguished young leaders during its Triennial Meeting on Jan. 12 in Washington, D.C.

Named for the youngest person to achieve the office of international president of B’nai B’rith, the award is presented individuals aged 22 to 45 who have demonstrated outstanding service to the mission of B’nai B’rith. Awardees also exemplify the goals of B’nai B’rith Connect, our young professional network. The award has long served as a predictor of future leadership within B’nai B’rith, and most of our current leaders were Label A. Katz award winners.

2025 Label A. Katz award recipients:

Tyler Baram of Baldwin, New York, is an active and dedicated volunteer leader on B’nai B’rith Connect’s Advisory Council, where he serves as Chair of Tikkun Olam. He was selected to join B’nai B’rith’s annual Kakehashi Project trip to Japan in 2019. He frequently volunteers with DOROT’s intergenerational programming as well as projects with Special Olympics and Junior Achievement and is also a member of the KPMG Abilities in Motion Diversity Network. Baram graduated from the University of Miami with a Bachelor’s of Business Administration in Accounting and Marketing and currently serves as marketing director for the U.S. Building, Construction & Real Estate practice at KPMG LLP.

Jay S. Feldman of Kensington, Maryland, has represented B’nai B’rith in diplomatic delegations to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva and UNESCO in Paris. He also served as a U.S. representative at B’nai B’rith policy forums and participated in the organization’s inaugural Kakehashi Project delegation to Japan in 2016 and is a member of B’nai B’rith’s Board of Governors and a former Executive Board member. Feldman has served as the executive director of the Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) Foundation since 2021. In this role, he oversees initiatives in Jewish identity, leadership development, Israel education, civic engagement and combating campus anti-Semitism. He has played a key role in strengthening Connect’s partnership with AEPi and has recommended numerous alumni for participation in high-level diplomatic meetings worldwide.

Daniel Gitbud of Munich, Germany, joined B’nai B’rith in 2019 as a legacy member and became president of the Munich lodge in 2022. Under his leadership, the Munich lodge initiated the project “Coffee with a Jew,” a mobile coffee bar set up around Munich to provide a safe space for people to meet Jews and ask questions they might otherwise feel hesitant to pose in everyday life. He has also worked to grow the lodge’s young adult population. Daniel hopes to contribute to the fight against anti-Semitism. Gitbud is committed to fostering understanding of Jewish life in non-Jewish communities through workshops and school programs.

Laura Hemlock-Schaeffer of Forest Hills, New York, has been an active and dedicated Connect leader for several years, playing a key role in developing various programs, including an off-the-record discussion about the war in Israel following Oct. 7, featuring Melissa Weiss, executive editor of Jewish Insider. She previously served as chair of the New York City chapter. Hemlock-Schaeffer has more than 12 years of experience in the Jewish nonprofit sector. She serves as project manager for the Platelet Disorder Support Association, where she conducts advocacy and educational programs for individuals like herself living with immune thrombocytopenia. She holds a Master’s Degree in Education and a Bachelor’s Degree in Theater from the University at Buffalo. Hemlock-Schaeffer is vice president of the Hillel of Buffalo Board of Directors.

Trey Meehan of Washington, D.C., serves as a volunteer leader on B’nai B’rith Connect’s Advisory Council, where he currently chairs Israel programming and is the former chair of the Washington, D.C. young professionals group. He actively represents B’nai B’rith in numerous programs, including serving as one of the leaders of B’nai B’rith’s 2021 No Fear Rally in Washington, D.C. Meehan is the managing director of Alums for Campus Fairness (ACF), a nonprofit network of university alumni dedicated to combating campus anti-Semitism, where he oversees operations and manages the regional team. Meehan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Butler University and a Master of Science degree from the University of Pennsylvania.