February 3, 2000

Rabbi Dr. Basil F. Herring of the Jewish Center of Atlantic Beach, will be honored at the Orthodox Union's (OU) Rabbinic Centennial Medallion Awards Dinner on Tuesday, February 29, 2000, at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue in New York.

The OU will honor Rabbi Herring as well as 11 other outstanding rabbis and their congregations who have made unique contributions to Orthodox Jewish life in America. Rabbi Yosef Grunblatt, spiritual leader of the Queens Jewish Center in Forest Hills, NY – who will also be honored at the dinner – will be the keynote speaker.

"Rabbi Herring is an impressive community and spiritual leader who has made an enormous contribution to Jewish life, " said Mandell I. Ganchrow, M.D., President of the OU.

Rabbi Herring is Executive Chairman of the Orthodox Caucus as well as a member of the Executive Committee of the Rabbinical Council of America (RCA). Author of numerous articles and widely-used textbooks on Jewish ethics, philosophy and halacha, Rabbi Herring is also the editor of The Rabbinate as Calling and Vocation: Models of Rabbinic Leadership, and The Prenuptial Agreement: Halakhic, Legal & Pastoral Considerations. In addition, he has served as editor and publisher of the newsletter, Rabbinics Today, as well as editor of The RCA Record newsletter.

After studying at Yeshivat Kerem Beyavneh in Israel, Rabbi Herring received his B.A. in Philosophy from Yeshiva College and his semicha (rabbinic ordination) from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS). He earned both his M.A. and Ph.D. in Jewish Philosophy from Yeshiva University’s Bernard Revel Graduate School.

"We cannot overemphasize the importance of rabbis, synagogues and communal institutions working in tandem to insure a thriving Orthodoxy," said Rabbi Raphael B. Butler, Executive Vice President of the OU. "The Orthodox Union acknowledges the synagogue as the focus of Jewish communal life. Each community is built around a vibrant synagogue led by a dynamic rabbi. It is that leadership that we are proud to honor."

The honorees include: Rabbi Yosef Adler (Congregation Rinat Yisroel, Teaneck) Rabbi Moshe Bomzer (Congregation Beth Abraham Jacob, Albany); Rabbi Reuven Bulka (Congregation Machzikei Hadas, Ottawa); Rabbi Mark Dratch (Agudath Sholom, Stamford); Rabbi Joseph Grunblatt (Queens Jewish Center, Forest Hills); Rabbi Shaya Kilimnick (Beth Sholom, Rochester); Rabbi Zvulun (Sidney) Lieberman (Beth Torah Congregation, Brooklyn); Rabbi Yisroel Miller (Poale Zedeck Congregation, Pittsburgh); Rabbi Adam Mintz (Lincoln Square Synagogue, New York); Rabbi Arthur Schneier (Park East Synagogue, New York); and Rabbi Harvey Well (Or Torah Congregation, Skokie).

For dinner reservations, please contact Steven Karp at (212) 613-8134.

The Orthodox Union, now in its second century 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 220,000 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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