September 2, 1999

In between his mayoral duties and jury duty, New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani fit in a visit to the Orthodox Union’s new headquarters in lower Manhattan yesterday, where he participated in the official dedication of the OU’s new office space.

A period of unprecedented growth in all areas of the OU prompted the organization to look for a bigger space to call home. With its move downtown to 11 Broadway -- at the tip of Manhattan -- the OU has taken up residency alongside many city landmarks. The New York Stock Exchange, the World Trade Center and City Hall are within walking distance. The famed East River and Statue of Liberty provide stunning views from OU offices on the building’s 12^th, 13^th and 14^th floors. And right outside the OU’s new front door, sits the famous life-size bull, which attracts a daily stream of tourists.

"I believe the Orthodox Union has made a tremendous contribution to the Jewish community and to the entire city of New York," Mayor Giuliani said. "The values that you stand for, the principles that you teach are exactly the things we need in our society to stabilize it and to take us into the next century."

Mayor Giuliani answered questions from OU board members and the press on President Clinton’s pardon of the FALN leaders versus his continued refusal to pardon convicted spy Jonathan Pollard; He discussed his opposition to granting a permit for the million youth march, scheduled for this Saturday, which he dubbed the "million teen hate march;" And Mayor Giuliani, a former prosecutor, also told the gathering that he is delighted to have been selected to serve as foreman on a civil jury.

The mayor then watched as Rabbi Joseph Karasick, Honorary President of the OU recited a blessing as he placed a mezuzah on the door-post of the office’s main entrance. The mezuzah is a small box, containing parchment etched with the Shema, a prayer that declares the singular holiness of God. Jews affix the mezuzah to the doors of their homes and offices as a reminder to all who enter that in our professional lives as in our personal lives, we must conduct ourselves according to Jewish values and ethics.

"This is a very special and most joyous occasion for us. It is a time to talk about the future because the future is upon us," said OU president, Mandell I. Ganchrow, M.D. "We have moved into a headquarters that is twice as big as our previous headquarters which was twice the size of our headquarters prior to that – all within a period of about 12 years. This shows the tremendous dynamic growth of the OU as the premier Orthodox synagogue organization in the world."

The Orthodox Union, celebrating 100 years of service to the Jewish community of America and beyond, is the world leader in youth work, advocacy for the disabled, synagogue services, adult education and political action. Its kosher supervision label, the OU, is the world’s most recognized kosher symbol and can be found on over 200,000 products in 62 countries around the globe.

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Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America Department of Public Relations Sharyn Perlman, Director Main Office: 11 Broadway, New York, NY 10004 Phone: 212-613-8321 Fax: 212-564-9058 E-mail: media@ou.org

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