December 27, 2005

OU and FEGS, Following Achievement of 200th Parnossahworks Job Placement, Mourn Sudden Death of Program’s Director, Rabbi Sheldon Miller

Even as they jointly hail the milestone of the 200th job placement in slightly more than a year of the existence of the ParnossahWorks program, the leadership and staff of the Orthodox Union and the FEGS Health and Human Services System, the partners behind the initiative, today are mourning the sudden passing of Rabbi Sheldon Miller, OU Director of the Program and the individual most responsible for its success.

ParnossahWorks was established to find gainful employment for out of work members of the Jewish community,

Rabbi Miller, 55, died suddenly at his home in Teaneck, NJ on Friday. His funeral, held Sunday in Teaneck, was attended by an enormous throng of admirers who shared the shock and grief of the Miller family. Mr. Miller left his wife Mara, three children, and two grandchildren -- twin baby boys who were the most recent joys of his blessed life.

“With the sudden tragic passing of Shelly Miller, the Orthodox Union national staff has lost a mensch and a professional,” declared OU Executive Vice President Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb. “As a mensch, Shelly exemplified all that is treasured in a friend --warmth, humor, empathy, menschlichkeit, wisdom. As a professional, he was diligent, reliable, creative, and a team player. Most of all, he was successful at the most sacred of all charitable tasks, finding employment for over 200 individuals, and providing encouragement, succor and hope for many hundreds more.”

Rabbi Weinreb wrote to the OU staff earlier this month after having been informed by Rabbi Miller that the 200 jobs milestone had been reached, “We commend Shelly for his efforts and are excited in the knowledge that we at the OU are instrumental in this unbelievably great mitzvah.”

Al Miller, Chief Executive Officer of FEGS (no relation to Rabbi Miller) said, “Shelly was a family man who not only cared deeply for his own family but saw the entire community as his family. His work with ParnossahWorks was the fulfillment of the commandment to help each person achieve all he can achieve and to remain independent. He worked tirelessly toward that end. He will be sorely missed.”

Upon achievement of the 200 jobs milestone, Al Miller declared, “We at FEGS believe that not only are good deeds in accord with our Jewish traditions, they are part of our responsibility. ParnossahWorks.org, which started as a good deed, has helped to improve the lives of so many in our community. We are proud that in partnership with the OU we have been able to harness technology for the benefit of our people.”

ParnossahWorks operates through contacts made with the unemployed or under-employed through the network of Orthodox synagogues in the Tri-State area. Job seekers search the ParnossahWorks.org website for positions (which are listed in a wide variety of areas) for which they consider themselves qualified and apply for them online. Then the FEGS staff of experts takes over, providing job training to prepare candidates for their search.

FEGS, partnering with the OU, also offers well-attended job training seminars at both OU headquarters and at synagogues in the area. The most recent of these sessions was held on December 14 at the Lincoln Square Synagogue in Manhattan, with an audience of almost one hundred.

Rabbi Miller was particularly proud of these job training efforts, declaring, “Unlike other employment websites, with ParnossahWorks there are always human beings behind the website, and human contact with those seeking work and seeking to improve their job search skills.”

More than any other individual, Rabbi Miller brought a personal touch to the process, and gave encouragement and inspiration to so many who had been close to despair.

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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 409,000 products manufactured in 83 countries around the globe.

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