October 12, 1999

In his first major address to a Jewish audience since declaring his candidacy for the democratic presidential nomination, Senator Bill Bradley (D-NJ) spoke before a gathering of nearly 400 at the Orthodox Union/Institute for Public Affairs dinner, honoring United States Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY) and Columbia University School of Law Professor Richard B. Stone.

In his remarks, Senator Bradley addressed the need for meaningful legislation to protect religious sensitivities in the workplace and classrooms and the "simple truth" that Israel has the right to designate the capital city of her choice. The senator also praised the lifetime of distinguished service provided by Senator Moynihan.

The dinner was sponsored by the Institute for Public Affairs (IPA), the research and advocacy arm of the OU. Proceeds of the event benefit the IPA’s Washington Internship Program, which grooms the top echelons of college students to become future leaders of the American Jewish community.

Lauding the "gifts" provided by the nation’s diverse ethnic and religious groups, Bradley declared, "We must never have a one-size-fits-all version of official faith that is so homogenized as to satisfy almost no one while offending almost everyone." Calling the OU a "superb example" of this principle, Bradley told the audience, "The Institute for Public Affairs and Orthodox Union are not shy about expressing your vision of a just and moral society – drawing on thousands of years of thoughtful expression tempered with the tenor of civility and tolerance that so characterizes your talmudic and rabbinic teachings– yet you have never allowed your vision of a better world to exclude the possibility that others have every right to express their own vision."

Senator Moynihan, one of the first officials in Washington to participate in the IPA Internship Program – hosting more than 20 interns throughout the 11-year history of the program – was presented with the Orthodox Union’s National Distinguished Statesman Award.

"It is our privilege to honor Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan whose career is a true profile in courage and whose leadership has been an inspiration to all of us," said Mandell I. Ganchrow, M.D., President of the Orthodox Union.

Describing his longtime friend and colleague as "that rarest of thinkers who is also a doer," Senator Bradley said, "[Senator Moynihan] may be retiring from the United States Senate, but he cannot and must not retire from the world of ideas and public service."

OU Vice President and Chairman of the IPA, Richard Stone, the Wilbur H. Friedman Professor of Tax Law at the Columbia University School of Law, was also honored with the National Distinguished Leadership Award.

Established in 1983, the IPA was created to represent and mobilize the world’s largest Orthodox Jewish community. Representing nearly 1,000 synagogues across the country, the IPA works to protect Jewish interests and freedoms by providing government officials with informative policy briefings, advocating legislative and regulatory initiatives and coordinating its constituency’s grass-roots political activities.

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.

www.ou.org.

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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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