September 30, 2005

With an Eye on the Future, the Orthodox Union Establishes the Young Leadership Cabinet, to Nurture a New Generation of OU Leaders

In a major initiative to create and nurture a new generation of leaders, the Orthodox Union has established the Young Leadership Cabinet (YLC), OU President Stephen J. Savitsky has announced.

“Organizations must continually renew themselves by preparing new generations of leaders. Given the Orthodox Union’s wide variety of new initiatives, it became clear to me that it was time to start grooming a new generation of OU leaders, both to continue these programs and to develop their own. Consequently, we established the Young Leadership Cabinet to lay the groundwork for the OU’s future,” Mr. Savitsky said.

He continued, “We appointed Rabbi Daniel Schonbuch -- himself a proven young leader with a great record of success in administering the summer programs of the National Conference of Synagogue Youth (NCSY) -- as the Director of YLC. The plan is to bring in young men and women with a firm commitment to the OU’s guiding principles of Torah and Mitzvot, who are well on their way to successful business and professional careers, and to integrate them into the OU infrastructure.”

Mr. Savitsky went on to say, “We hope to develop a large pool of talented and capable men and women who can serve as Jewish leaders both at the OU and in their individual communities. We therefore look to the YLC as a training ground for Jewish communal service in general and for the Orthodox Jewish community in particular.”

The YLC was initiated by Mr. Savitsky and Charles J. Harary, a graduate of the Columbia University School of Law and an attorney at the firm of Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison. Beginning in the New York Tri-State area with twenty-five members, the YLC has already reached Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and the web community at www.ou.org/ylc, and continues to expand.

Mr. Harary, who is 28 years old and married with three children, serves as Chairman of the YLC Board of Directors. He helped initiate YLC, “because if young Jews do not stand up today, there will be no Jewish tomorrow,” he said. "Our parents and grandparents rebuilt Jewish life from the ashes of Shoah (Holocaust). They took Jewish life to greater heights and more far flung places than ever before in history. And we must learn the lessons of their collective experience – of their triumphs, their challenges, and their setbacks so that we may step into their shoes as best we can to face the challenges and opportunities of a new day, araH Mr. Harary declared.

To observe the work of OU leadership at its highest level and obtain hands-on-experience, the Young Leaders have been placed on various OU Commissions: National Conference of Synagogue Youth (NCSY); Institute of Public Affairs (IPA); National Council for Disabilities (NJCD/Yachad); Community and Synagogue Services; Internet and Broadcast Media; Jewish Action Magazine ; Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus (JLIC); Development; and Kashrut.

“We’re just here to help,” declared Jordan Hiller, a YLC member who works full-time as a lawyer, but devotes some of his spare time to Jewish Action, the OU’s family magazine.

Naomi Maryles, a recent addition to the YLC, said, “I read about YLC in Jewish Action, and I thought that this might be something to get involved in, where I can give to the community. I’m interested in helping out in NCSY, I was part of it as a teenager and I loved it. Now I want to give back.”

YLC members are also involved in a variety of projects to utilize their skills. These projects include:

• Bridge Builders – Bridging the gap between major Jewish organizations.

• Jewish Tuition Initiative – Dealing with the issues of Yeshiva tuition.

• Project Areivim - Sending Young Leaders on brief visits to small Jewish communities as OU emissaries.

• Orthodox Communities Network (OCN) – An interactive website showcasing various Orthodox communities in the United States and Canada, assisting those thinking of moving to a smaller or different community.

• YLC Advocates Project – Writing op-eds and letters regarding critical issues facing the Jewish community.

Jewish Media Group (JMG) – Creating innovative ideas for Jewish visual media.

In order to educate the Young Leaders in the complexities of the Jewish world, particularly the broader American Jewish community, YLC National Director Rabbi Daniel Schonbuch has established a series of educational events to be held in New York, with those outside N.Y. participating via conference call.

The first event of the year took place on September 28, with special guest speaker Malcolm Hoenlein, Executive Vice Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, who spoke on The Great American Jewish Debate: How American Jewish organizations decide policy on major Jewish issues.

The following events will take place November 9, 2005 to June 14, 2006:

• November 9, 2005 – Defense Organizations with Abraham Foxman, National Director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL): Between Vigilance and Complacency: Are American Jews doing enough to combat anti-Semitism?

• February 14 – Young Leaders will observe a Lobbying Day in Washington, D.C.

• February 15, 2006 – United Jewish Community/Federations with Howard M. Rieger, President and Chief Executive Officer of United Jewish Communities (UJC): Giving, Getting and Guiding: Exploring a New Partnership between Orthodox Jewry and the UJA.

• March 15, 2006 –Denominations with Eytan Kobre, Attorney, Columnist for Cross-Currents.com: Will American Jewry Survive the twenty-first century? Understanding the past, present and future of Reform and Conservative Jewry.

• April 2, 2006 - Young Leaders will attend the OU National Dinner as guests of the organization.

• May 17, 2006 – Political Affairs with Israel Singer, Chairman of the World Jewish Congress (WJC): A Brotherhood of Nations? The relationship between the United Nations, Israel and world Jewry.

• May 19-21 – YLC Founding Conference in Waterbury, CT.

• June 14, 2006 – Jewish-Christian Relations with Rabbi Yitzchak Adlerstein, Director, Project Next Step, Simon Wiesenthal Center: Between Divestment and Dichotomy: Understanding Christian Denominations and their Changing Attitude toward Israel.

Before each lecture, preparatory readings will be sent to YLC members to ensure maximum background understanding, and participation in the session. CD’s on the given lecture will be accessible to YLC members who cannot attend, Rabbi Schonbuch explained.

“There is a great need to create a generation of articulate leaders who know about the issues effecting Klal Yisrael. The first step is to have them meet with the current major representatives of the Jewish community and to learn from them,” declared Rabbi Schonbuch.

For more information on becoming a YLC member, contact Rabbi Schonbuch at 212-613-8202, schonbuchd@ou.org or visit the YLC website at www.ou.org/ylc.

* * *

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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