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The Orthodox Union
proudly invites you to pay tribute to our
distinguished honorees at the
105th
Anniversary National Dinner
Sunday, May 18, 2003
-16 Iyar 5763
Grand Hyatt Hotel
42nd St. and Lexington Avenue
New York City
Emanuel J. Adler
Dinner Chairman
Reception 5:00 pm
Dinner 6:00 pm |
Black Tie
R.S.V.P. |
For
more information please contact Malka Laks at 212-613-8144 or
e-mail
Malkal@ou.org
Rabbi
Steven M. Dworken
Rabbi Steven M. Dworken zt"l was known
as the "rabbi's
rabbi" in recognition of his extraordinary
work as Executive Vice President of the Rabbinical Council of America,
a position he held for nearly a decade until his untimely passing in
January. Rabbi Dworken is credited throughout the Orthodox world with
having revitalized the RCA, expanded its membership, introduced a
variety of new programs, and made the organization more relevant than
ever to the everyday lives of pulpit rabbis. He served his
constituents with wisdom and humor, always ready to offer excellent
advice and a helping hand. Rabbi Dworken's
long and esteemed service as a pulpit rabbi enabled him to recognize
the needs of his colleagues in the synagogue world and to respond to
those needs. He served in pulpits in Portland, Maine and Stamford,
Connecticut before leading Congregation Anshe Chesed in Linden, New
Jersey for 23 years. Rabbi Dworken was a constant visitor to Israel
and was available to fly there on a moment's
notice when the situation required. Rabbi Dworken was a graduate of
Yeshiva College and received semicha from its RIETS rabbinical
seminary, as well as a Doctor of Ministry degree in Pastoral
Counseling from a consortium of Boston universities. Throughout his
life, he was a proud and devoted alumnus of Yeshiva University, and
served as Director of Rabbinic Services at its Max Stern Division of
Communal Services. His funeral, held at Yeshiva University, drew more
than 1000 mourners. Rabbi Dworken's memory
will live on forever in the minds and hearts of his wife, Susan, whom
he married in 1969; his son Arye; his daughters Aliza Frohlich and her
husband Jonathan, and Naomi Rotblat and her husband Yechiel; and his
grandchildren. They were the central motivating force in his life and
he bestowed his love on them passionately, as they loved him. It is
with great pride and emotion that the Orthodox Union presents this
year's National Rabbinic Leadership Award in
the memory of Rabbi Steven M. Dworken.
Rabbi Hershel Billet
The Orthodox Union takes great pride in presenting its National
Rabbinic Leadership Award to Rabbi Hershel Billet, who for the past 23
years has been one of the foremost leaders of the Long Island Jewish
community as Rabbi of the Young Israel of Woodmere. Rabbi Billet's
leadership, however, goes far beyond Long Island and is national in
scope, given his position as President of the Rabbinical Council of
America, the OU's rabbinic partner. At the
RCA, Rabbi Billet has worked closely with the OU on a variety of major
initiatives, and values the OU/RCA connection very deeply. Moreover,
his OU connection is long-term, going as far back as his work as an
advisor to NCSY. A musmach of RIETS, Rabbi
Billet is married to Rookie, a Jewish educator and lecturer. They are
the parents of Dassi and Dan Jacobson; David; Avi and Chana; Moshe;
Shira; and Nava. They are grandparents of Tehila, Aharon and Yehuda
Jacobson.
Dr. Heschel J. Raskas
Heschel J. Raskas of St. Louis combines careers in business and
science with leadership in the Jewish community, including his
position as Member of the Orthodox Union Board of Directors. In
addition, he was at times both the National Vice President for the OU
Midwest Region and Chairman of the NCSY Midwest Region Youth
Commission. In that role, he was instrumental in combining the NCSY
Midwest Region and the Chicago Region into what is now known as the
Greater Midwest Region.
With a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Harvard and
B.S. from MIT where he did his undergraduate work, Heschel earned
esteem in the scientific community as Professor of Pathology and
Microbiology at Washington University (St. Louis) School of Medicine;
among his other positions there he was Director of the Center for
Basic Cancer Research and Director of the Training Program in
Molecular Virology. In addition, his more than seventy scientific
publications have appeared in prestigious journals, including the
Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, Nature, and the
Journal of Virology.
Since 1982, Heschel has been President of Raskas Foods, Inc., a family
business which is the largest private label cream cheese manufacturer
in the United States. An OU supervised firm, Raskas Foods has
manufacturing facilities in Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Texas. In late
2002 the 114-year-old firm was acquired by Schreiber Foods Inc. of
Green Bay, Wisconsin. Heschel is a member of US Bank’s St. Louis
Board, serves on the Board of the National Cheese Institute, and has
been a member of the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences’
Graduate Society Board.
Heschel follows in a great family tradition of leadership in the
Jewish community. His paternal grandparents, Louis and Ruth Raskas,
were written about in the issue of Jewish Action magazine celebrating
the OU’s 100th Anniversary. Heschel’ maternal grandfather, Rabbi
Tobias Geffen, was a Rabbi for nearly sixty years in Atlanta. Rabbi
Geffen’s bio and seforim can be found on the website
www.hebrewbooks.org.
Heschel devotes much of his time to the Jewish world. Besides his OU
positions, he has been President of the Young Israel of St. Louis;
President of the Block Yeshiva High School; Vice-President of the
Epstein Hebrew Academy; Vice President of Planning and Allocations,
Vice President of Financial Planning and currently Treasurer and Major
Gifts Campaign Chair of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis; as well as
Secretary of the St. Louis Jewish Community Relations Council and of
the America-Israel Chamber of Commerce of St. Louis. He is also a
Board member of the Orthodox Caucus. He is active in efforts to
establish a new Torah MiTzion Kollel in St. Louis
Heschel and his wife Adinah are parents of five children: Jonathan;
Daniel, married to Daphna Futter; Aviva, married to Moshe Adler; Ruth,
married to Nigel Ohrenstein; and Mordechai, currently a student at
Yeshiva University and previously a student at Yeshivat Har Etzion,
another of Heschel’s community involvements. The Raskas’ are blessed
with twelve grandchildren.
Mr. Patrick Firmenich
The Orthodox Union takes great pride in presenting its prestigious
National Kashrut Award to the Firmenich Group, which has been under OU
supervision since 1965.
The Firmenich Group is one of the outstanding flavors and fragrances
companies in the world. Firmenich was founded in 1895 in Geneva,
Switzerland, where it is still based, and has remained a family-owned
business ever since. Patrick Firmenich, who assumed the position of
Chief Executive Officer on July 1, 2002, represents the fourth
generation of the family to lead the company.
Firmenich is dedicated to creating high quality fragrances and flavors
used by its clients in their consumer brands. Often, the products that
Firmenich perfumes or flavors become best sellers in world markets.
The company has operations in countries all over the world –
including, of course, Israel.
Firmenich firmly believes that businesses have a soul and that this
soul is key to the company’s future. Firmenich’s soul consists in
great part in its people. Therefore, the company creates an
environment in which its employees are valued, motivated and
encouraged to reach their true potential; in which they are encouraged
to develop entrepreneurial spirit and to participate in imaginative
teamwork; and in which they are required to live up to the highest
ethical standards.
This emphasis on ethics assures that Firmenich is concerned not only
for its people but for the environment as well. The firm proudly
declares that it has an important social and environmental
responsibility to protect the world in which we live.
Truly, Firmenich represents values that are deeply embedded in Jewish
tradition. Because of these values -- which include a profound respect
for the laws of kashrut -- it is eminently clear why the firm is being
honored tonight with the OU’s National Kashrut Award. |
