February 3, 2000

Rabbi Shaya Kilimnick, of Congregation Beth Sholom, in Rochester, will be honored at the Orthodox Union's (OU) Rabbinic Centennial Medallion Awards Dinner on Tuesday, February 29, 2000, in New York City.

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

Rabbi Kilimnick serves on the boards of the Jewish Family Service of Rochester, the Israel Department of the Jewish Federation, Ora Academy (Rochester's Jewish High School for girls) and Hillel Community Day School. He is the Rabbinic Chairman of the local Israel Bonds committee, Chairman of the Holocaust Commission, and the Youth Commission of the National Conference of Synagogue Youth’s Upstate New York Division. Rabbi Kilimnick is also the chaplain and religious coordinator of the Jewish Home of Rochester.

Nationally, Rabbi Kilimnick has served as the Orthodox Rabbi for the B'nai Brith Youth Organization camp in Starlite, PA. He is also a member of the Rabbinic Cabinets of the UJA and the National Israel Bonds Organization and has been a vice-president of the Rabbinical Council of America, where he continues to be an active member. Rabbi Kilimnick holds semicha (rabbinic ordination) from Yeshivas Ner Yisroel in Toronto, Canada.

"We cannot overemphasize the importance of rabbis, synagogues and communal institutions working in concert 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 Dr. Basil F. Herring (Jewish Center of Atlantic Beach); 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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