OU - December 10, 1998: Chief Rabbi of England Dr. Jonathan Sacks called upon Orthodox Jews to be more active as moral leaders in American public life during the Orthodox Union’s Centennial Convention, held over Thanksgiving Weekend at the Brunswick Hilton & Towers in East Brunswick, New Jersey.

Speaking to a crowd of nearly 1,000, Rabbi Sacks said, "The moral framers of our day are either Catholics or secular Jews, where is the voice of Torah in these discussions? I want to hear the Orthodox voice – going beyond the Jewish community." During the four day convention, the Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau spoke about the tensions between the religious and secular communities in Israel and elucidated some of the political and religious realities impacting the relationship.

The convention, which featured renowned scholars and thinkers and Roshei Yeshiva including Rabbi Hershel Schachter, Rosh Yeshiva RIETS and

Dr. Norman Lamm, President of Yeshiva University, included sessions on some of the current challenges facing American Jewry such as social responses to the Agunah issue, outreach on the American campus and strengthening Jewish identity. During the convention, OU President Mandell I. Ganchrow, M.D. unveiled plans for a campus outreach program in conjunction with the Hillel Foundation.

"We must recognize that the majority of yeshiva and day school graduates attend secular colleges where some may thrive Jewishly, though others languish. In conjunction with the Hillel Foundation, we are forging a revolutionary program on dozens of campuses that will ehlp ensure the future leadership of our community," said Dr. Ganchrow.

To Editors: Photos available upon request.