April 22, 2004

OU to Honor Outgoing President Harvey Blitz and Wife Judy;  Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld; Attorney Jay Lefkowitz;  Wakefern Food Corporation and Campbell Soup Company at 106th Annual Dinner

Sunday, May 16, 2004
New York Marriott Marquis Hotel
Reception 5:00 p.m.
Dinner 6:00 p.m.

With an imposing array of honorees representing both the broad dimensions of the organization itself as well as some of its major components, the Orthodox Union will hold its 106th Anniversary National Dinner on Sunday, May 16 at the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel with the reception at 5:00 p.m. and the dinner to follow at 6:00 p.m.

Emanuel J. Adler, an OU Vice President from Teaneck, NJ and a partner in the law firm of Blank Rome LLP, is Dinner Chair. A tribute journal will be published for the event.

The honorees include outgoing OU President Harvey Blitz and his wife, Judy; Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld, who is celebrating his 20th anniversary in the OU Kosher Division; Jay P. Lefkowitz, a distinguished attorney who has served as an advisor to both of the Presidents Bush; Wakefern Food Corporation which operates ShopRite supermarkets; and Campbell Soup Company, whose Vegetarian Vegetable Soup was certified kosher by the OU last year.

The dinner will celebrate the two-term Presidency of Harvey Blitz, whose four years in office will conclude at the OU Biennial Convention at Thanksgiving in Jerusalem. Mr. and Mrs. Blitz will be honored with the OU’s Keter Shem Tov (The Crown of a Good Name) Award.

Mr. Blitz, an attorney, rose to the OU Presidency after having served as an Officer since 1978, holding a variety of leadership positions, including Secretary, Treasurer, Vice President, Senior Vice President and Chairman of the Youth and Finance Committees. His time in office has been marked by a major expansion of OU services to its community, with an emphasis on broadening programs for youth and strengthening the Jewish family through such events as parenting and marriage programs. His term has also been marked by the establishment and growth of an OU program (Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus) to place a young rabbi and his wife on seven campuses to provide learning opportunities and counseling to Orthodox and other Jewish students.

In addition, Mr. Blitz’s Presidency has been notable for the OU’s impact on public policy in Washington, through the organization’s support for Israel and for government initiatives extending equality to religious organizations, along with their secular counterparts, in providing social services to their constituents.

Professionally, Mr. Blitz is Senior Vice President and head of the Tax Department of AXA Financial, Inc. and its subsidiary, the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States.

Mrs. Judy Blitz, who holds a Masters Degree in Occupational Therapy from Columbia University, has worked for more than 20 years with disabled children at Queens Center for Progress/United Cerebral Palsy of Queens.

“Harvey Blitz has been a truly visionary President of the Orthodox Union,” declared OU Executive Vice President Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, who as the head of the professional staff works with Mr. Blitz on a daily basis. “His recognition of the need for an organization to evolve to meet changing times and changing needs; his concern for the stability and well-being of the Jewish family; his ability to represent the OU in Washington, including at the White House, in Jerusalem, at the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and in other significant venues, while at the same time maintaining a full agenda of his professional responsibilities, makes clear how remarkable a leader he is. The more I work with Harvey Blitz, the more I appreciate him,” Rabbi Weinreb said.

Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld will be honored with the National Distinguished Rabbinic Leadership Award, reflecting 20 years of service in the OU's Kosher Division, where he is Rabbinic Coordinator and Group Leader. He is highly regarded within the entire kosher industry both as an outstanding example of high professionalism and for his commitment to excellent personal relationships in his dealings with the industry.

Rabbi Schonfeld is also Assistant Rabbi of the Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills, an OU-member synagogue, and is the immediate past-president of the Vaad Harabonim of Queens. At the Young Israel, he serves as deputy to his father, Rabbi Fabian Schonfeld, a member of the OU Board of Directors.

At the dinner, attorney Jay P. Lefkowitz will receive the OU’s Distinguished Public Service Award. Mr. Lefkowitz is a partner in the firm of Kirkland & Ellis LLP in Washington, where he specializes in commercial litigation and strategic counseling. He has served on the White House staffs of President George H.W. Bush and President George W. Bush, most recently as Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, a position in which he coordinated the activities of the Domestic Policy Council and advised the President on a wide variety of issues.

Mr. Lefkowitz was recently named to the United States delegation to the Conference on Anti-Semitism, sponsored by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, to be held at the end of April in Berlin.

The OU will present its National Kashrut Leadership Award to Wakefern Food Corporation, the nation’s largest retailer-owned cooperative in the United States and the market leader in the New York metropolitan area. The 38 members of the cooperative independently own and operate 200 ShopRite supermarkets in five northeastern states.

Today there are more than 850 OU certified products under the ShopRite label. Additionally, many ShopRite supermarkets offer customers additional variety through their “Kosher Experience” departments, ranging from kosher meat and fish to deli and baked goods. ShopRite’s “Partners in Caring Program” works with more than 1,400 local charities that are committed to meeting the nutritional needs of families and the elderly. Since its inception in 1998, the program has donated $7 million to support groups, including organizations in the Jewish community, dedicated to fighting hunger.

Thomas P. Infusino, Chairman and CEO, will accept the award on behalf of Wakefern.

In the world of kosher, there was no bigger story in the past year than the kosher certification in September by the OU of Campbell’s® Vegetarian Vegetable Soup. Campbell worked closely with the OU to certify the soup, building upon its ongoing partnership with the OU in certifying other popular Campbell brands, including most Pepperidge Farm® cookies and crackers and Godiva® chocolates, to make possible the introduction of Campbell’s Vegetarian Vegetable soup to a kosher clientele.

An iconic name in the food industry, Campbell Soup Company is 135 years old, with nearly $7 billion in annual sales and a portfolio of more than 20 market-leading brands.

Larry McWilliams, President of U.S. Soup, Sauces and Beverages at Campbell, will accept the OU’s National Corporate Award on behalf of the company.

“Once again this year, the OU has assembled an extraordinary group of honorees,” declared Dinner Chair Adler. “I look forward to an immensely successful dinner as we pay tribute to people and businesses whose work and achievements so well reflect the values of the Orthodox Union.”

For further information about attending or placing an ad in the tribute journal, call Malka Laks at 212-613-8144, or malkal@ou.org.

The Orthodox Union, now in its second century of service to the Jewish community of North America and beyond, is a world leader in community and synagogue services, adult education, youth work through NCSY, political action through the IPA, and advocacy for persons with disabilities through Yachad and Our Way. Its kosher supervision label, the , is the world’s most recognized kosher symbol and can be found on over 275,000 products manufactured in 68 countries around the globe.

www.ou.org

Comments? Requests? Questions?

Orthodox Union Department of Communications and Marketing David Olivestone Director Stephen Steiner Director of Public Relations Main Office: 11 Broadway, New York, NY 10004 Phone: 212.613.8318 Fax: 212-613-0763 E-mail: steiners@ou.org  |  media@ou.org

OUPR Archives Recent statements to the press: 2003  |  2002  |  2001  |  2000  |  1999  |  1998