May 19, 2004

West Coast Region of OU/NCSY Adds Ambassador Yuval Rotem, Consul General of Israel in LA, to List of Honorees at Annual Awards Banquet June 21

The Sephardic Temple
10500 Wilshire Boulevard, Westwood

Monday, June 21
5:45 p.m.

Ambassador Yuval Rotem, Consul General of Israel in Los Angeles, has been added to the list of honorees, as the West Coast Region of the Orthodox Union and the National Conference of Synagogue Youth (NCSY) holds its Annual Awards Banquet on Monday night, June 21, 2004 at 5:45 p.m. at the Sephardic Temple in Westwood.

The dinner will be honoring Rabbi Sholom Tendler with the OU Rabbinic Leadership Award; Dr. Morris and Sharon Silver and Candace Schwartz with the NCSY Parents of the Year Award; Dr. Richard and Ellen Katz with the OU President’s Award; and Ambassador Yuval Rotem with the Shomer Yisrael Award.

“Our banquet is a unique opportunity to honor worthy individuals from across the spectrum of the community while at the same time supporting the vital work of our local West Coast branches of the OU and NCSY,” declared Dr. Larry Eisenberg, President of the West Coast Region. “Our scope and constituency go beyond any one shul, school or neighborhood to encompass the entire group of kehillot (congregations) that make up our region.”

The evening begins with an International Smorgasbord Dinner and Sushi Bar at 5:45 p.m. The program starts at 7:30, to be followed by a Viennese Table at 8:30.

The Sephardic Temple is located at 10500 Wilshire Boulevard in Westwood.

The backgrounds of the honorees follow:

• Rabbi Sholom Tendler, affectionately known as Rav Sholom, is a renowned educator and is widely recognized for his erudite and articulate presentations of the most complex areas of Jewish thought. He is Rabbi of Young Israel of North Beverly Hills, the West Coast Region’s newest OU member synagogue. He has been the Rosh HaYeshiva of YOLA and YULA Boys’ School for the past 24 years and is currently Vice President of the Rabbinical Council of California and founder of the Halachic Advisory Board of Jewish Family Services.
   
• Dr. Morris and Sharon Silver were drawn to the Los Angeles area for the rich educational and social opportunities it offers youth. Their son Evan is treasurer on the NCSY Regional Board and daughter Allison is on the Beverly Hills NCSY Chapter Board. Not ones to sit idly by, the Silvers have taken on leading roles in the OU – serving as banquet chairs and as NCSY board members. While relatively new to LA, they have already made a big impact.
   
• Candace Schwartz, or Candie, a native Angelino, resides in Valley Village with her children, Jaimie and Benji. An event planner and catering manager for Shaarey Zedek Congregation, she prioritizes time for her children and their interests and has hosted and supported numerous NCSY events in her home. As a volunteer, she is the backbone of Valley NCSY, which coincidentally, was the NCSY Chapter of the Year.
   
• Dr. Richard and Ellen Katz, long time members of Congregation Shaarei Tefilla, took on a heavy responsibility with Dr. Katz becoming President at a time of major transition for the synagogue. By instilling a sense of community, vitality and humor, they have strengthened Shaarei Tefilla and built a foundation of optimism. Their efforts were capped with the recruitment of Rabbi Nachum and Elana Kosofsky.
   
• Ambassador Yuval Rotem, Consul General of Israel in Los Angeles since 1999, is the senior representative of the State of Israel in the Southwestern United States. Mr. Rotem served in significant positions under Foreign Ministers Ehud Barak, David Levy and then Benjamin Netanyahu, who promoted him to Ambassador in 2003. Consul General Rotem and his wife Miri have three children.

For reservations, contact Rabbi Alan Kalinsky of the West Coast Region at 310-229-3000, ext. 3.

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.

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