OU’s Frank Buchweitz and Wife Susan To Receive P’tach’s Community Service Award

25 Jan 2010

Frank Buchweitz of Suffern, NY, the Orthodox Union’s National Director of Community Services and Special Projects, and an expert in developing programs to strengthen Jewish families, will receive the P’TACH Community Service Award along with his wife, Susan, at the organization’s annual dinner, Sunday, February 21, at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York.

P’TACH, is an international organization committed to the education of children with learning differences, to make it possible for them to achieve a Torah education and to fulfill their potential in life.

In announcing the choice, Rabbi Burton Jaffa, National Director of P’TACH, declared, “Frank Buchweitz is a highly recognized and respected professional in the forefront of the Jewish communal field. He has established a distinguished career as a leading educator, administrator, innovator, facilitator and consultant with a unique event and program planning talent.”

“As National Director of Community Services and Special Projects for the Orthodox Union,” Rabbi Jaffa continued, “Frank has initiated creative educational programs in the areas of community, synagogue and adult education. These programs, including Positive Jewish Parenting and Positive Jewish Marriages, are national legendary successes providing practical advice on day-in and day-out real life situations.”

Rabbi Jaffa explained, “The OU’s Community Service programs touch on a wide variety of issues that affect all aspects of the Jewish world, such as health and halachic related programs; tefillah initiatives on making prayer more meaningful and personal; economic symposiums; the Emerging Communities Fair to encourage relocation to smaller Jewish communities around the country; chessed programs to do good works; school safety issues such as drug and alcohol guidelines for schools; and communal programs on eating disorders and body image, among others.”

Rabbi Jaffa noted as well that Frank Buchweitz is the coordinator of the Orthodox Union’s survey of marriage in the Orthodox community, with the survey’s objective being development of new programs to meet the needs revealed by the study.

“The common thread of all these programs is that they focus on strengthening the Jewish family,” Rabbi Jaffa said. “This is a major priority of the Orthodox Union, and the programs are in very good hands under Frank’s guidance and direction.”

Susan Buchweitz is a clinical social worker (LCSW) and is a graduate of Hunter and Columbia Universities. She is Clinical Director of the Birchwood School, a K-12 special education school in the Clarkstown School District in Rockland County. Susan is also Adjunct Associate Professor at the NYU School of Social Work, where she has trained interns for the past 25 years.”

Founded thirty-two years ago, merely as a dream, P’TACH now brings hope and encouragement to thousands of children who would have otherwise been denied a Torah education. P’TACH programs are an integral part of yeshivas throughout the United States, Canada, and Israel. P’TACH has proven that given a highly dedicated professional staff and a low student-teacher ratio, learning disabled children can be educated alongside their peers and be fully integrated into our community.

“My wife and I are truly honored to be receiving the PTACH Community Service Award,” Frank Buchweitz said.