OU to Pay Tribute to Distinguished Honorees at 109th Anniversary National Dinner in NY, May 20

30 Apr 2007

OU TO PAY TRIBUTE TO DISTINGUISHED HONOREES AND TO CELEBRATE FULL RANGE OF ACTIVITIES AT 109TH ANNIVERSARY NATIONAL DINNER IN NEW YORK

The Orthodox Union will hold its 109th Anniversary National Dinner on Sunday, May 20 at the Hilton New York to pay tribute to distinguished honorees and will celebrate the full range of OU programs.

Dinner Chair Terry Augenbraun of Fairfield, CT declared, “After an interval of several years, I am pleased to return as Dinner Chairman for the Orthodox Union’s Annual Dinner, this year the 109th Anniversary event.”

“The organization we saluted five years ago, when I last was Chair, has accomplished a world of good for the Jewish people,” he said. “Since that time there has been such a dramatic growth of programming and initiatives that it is almost a whole new OU we are seeing. Our Dinner salutes honorees who have done so much to make this growth possible.”

This year’s honorees include:

• Marvin and Renee Herskowitz of Far Rockaway, NY will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. They have rendered invaluable service to the OU over many years, in senior positions, as chairs, and as members of committees;

• John Cowles, President of George Weston Bakeries, will receive the National Kashrut Leadership Award. The George Weston Bakeries connection to the OU Kosher goes back many years. The company produces some of the most delicious baked goods on the market, incuding: Thomas’ English Muffins, Arnold and Freihofer’s bread and Entenmann’s pastries;

• Rabbi Dale Polakoff of the Great Neck Synagogue will receive the National Distinguished Rabbinic Leadership Award. He is an OU Board Member, and is currently President of the Rabbinical Council of America, where he works with many of the rabbis who lead OU congregations;

• Leora and Martin F. Fineberg of Teaneck, NJ will receive the Distinguished Community Service Award. They have worked tirelessly for a variety of Jewish causes, including those at the OU, where Martin is National Secretary;

• Sari and Jason Ciment of Los Angeles will receive the NCSY National Leadership Award. They have been deeply involved in the growth of the Jewish Student Union, an offshoot of NCSY for high school teens with little or no Jewish background;

• Dassi and Ari Fuchs of Bergenfield, NJ, will receive the Young Leadership Distinguished Service Award for their dedication to young people. They have recently hosted a fundraising event for an OU film on eating disorders in the Jewish community.

“Countless individuals benefit from the work of the Orthodox Union worldwide. This year’s National Dinner will embrace the OU’s leadership in all areas of its programming and service,” declared OU President Stephen J. Savitsky.

According to Mr. Savitsky, OU programs include:

• Pepa and Joseph Karasick Synagogue Services Department, strengthening the community and enhancing synagogue life everywhere;

• Community Services Department, creating educational and inspiring programming for families and individuals;

• OU Kosher, making it easier to live an observant Jewish life in an increasingly sophisticated technological age;

• NCSY, which is renowned for its outreach and inreach among young people;

• Seymour J. Abrams Israel Center, providing a myriad of educational and social activities for Western olim and reaching out to secular Israelis;

• Yachad/National Jewish Council for Disabilities, enriching lives of young Jews with special needs;

• Institute for Public Affairs, advancing and protecting the interests of the Jewish people in the political arena and the public square;

• Joseph K. Miller Kharkov (Ukraine) Torah Center, relighting the spark of Jewish observance and knowledge in what was once the heartland of Judaism;

• Heshe and Harriet Seif Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus, bolstering the observance of Orthodox college students and offering Torah knowledge to all Jews on 13 major campuses nationwide;

• Website and Publications, reaching the hearts and minds of the Jewish public with resources that inform, instruct and inspire.

For more information concerning the OU’s 109th National Dinner, contact Malka Laks, at 212.613.8144 or email malkal@ou.org.