Cohen’s athletic success, leaderships skills and volunteer efforts led her to be the 2017 recipient of the David Back Memorial Maccabi Award at the Katz JCC Sports Award Dinner on Sept. 13.
For Cherry Hill native Haley Cohen, there was no greater honor than being the 2017 recipient of the David Back Memorial Maccabi Award at the JCC Sports Award Dinner on Sept. 13.
The award is named after David Back, a former JCC Team South Jersey swimmer and community leader who passed away suddenly in 1992 during his freshman year of college. Cohen attended Congregation Beth El, the same synagogue Back attended, and feels she can relate to him in a number of ways.
“He was really inspiring,” Cohen said. “I know David wanted to give back and it’s something I learned from my synagogue. I look up to him.”
Cohen fits all of the criteria for the David Back Memorial Maccabi Award. The award is given annually to a South Jersey JCC Maccabi Game athlete who displays strong leadership qualities on and off the field and maintains a strong Jewish identity. Cohen has played tennis since the age of 12, is in her senior year at Brandeis University, where she is the captain of the women’s tennis team and has spent hours of her time volunteering.
Cohen’s tennis career was kick started thanks to the generosity of the late Lewis Katz, who paid to send Cohen to a tennis camp in Bradenton, Fla., allowing her to refine her skills there.
“If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” Cohen said.
Cohen became one of New Jersey’s top young tennis players during her high school years. Instead of playing in high school, Cohen played in United States Tennis Association tournaments, where she was at one time the №1 ranked player in New Jersey for her age.
When it came time to look for colleges, Cohen was immediately drawn to Brandeis University, a small private school located just outside of Boston with a large Jewish community. She is very involved with Hillel, a Jewish religious organization at Brandeis, attending Shabbat services every Friday night.
“I love the people at Brandeis,” Cohen said. “I definitely love the Jewish community. The students there, they just push me to be better.”
On the tennis court, Cohen served as captain for the first time in 2016–17, where she helped Brandeis to a 15–5 season, the team’s best season since 2011–12. Individually at second singles, Cohen finished the season with a record of 14–12.
For Cohen, being a captain means being there for her teammates, even outside of practices and matches.
“There are definitely challenges,” she said. “Whenever a teammate has an issue, I drop everything to help them out. People definitely come to me and I make sure to be with them.”
Cohen and her teammates have also made an impact off the court. The players volunteer for ACEing Autism, an organization where volunteers give tennis lessons to children on the autism spectrum.
“We go every week and we teach kids who have autism tennis,” Cohen said. “It’s really more about spending time with them and making their day better for that one hour we spend with them.”
Cohen plans to wrap up college next spring with a bachelor’s degree in business and is already focusing on her career plans.
“This past summer, I had two amazing internships, both in New York. I’m hoping to get a job in the fashion industry,” she said.
