Friday, January 28, 2011

The NJOP Dinner at the New York Hilton

The National Jewish Outreach Program is justifiably proud of the profound impact it has had on the lives of an unusually large and diverse group of people. This diversity is reflected in the honorees who will be featured at NJOP's upcoming 17th Annual Dinner, which will take place on Tuesday, February 1, 2011 at the New York Hilton. This year's Guests of Honor will be the world renowned artists, Beryl Korot and Steve Reich. Beryl and Steve were not only founding members of Rabbi Buchwald's Beginners Service at Lincoln Square Synagogue, but actually helped create the service itself—and thereby deserve much credit in the very formation of NJOP. Beryl Korot is a pioneer in the field of video-art. Steve Reich is a world renowned composer. Both are proud Jews who take their Judaism seriously. Without question, Beryl and Steve are role models for many young Jews who are passionate about both Judaism and art.

This year's Carl &Sylvia Freyer Young Leadership Award will be presented to Shaina and Ari Moses. In 2006, at the outset of NJOP's Young Leadership Board initiative, Ari immediately stepped forward. Eager to excite young Jews about their heritage, Ari became a regular at NJOP events and even sponsored an edition of NJOP's renowned Hebrew primer, Reishith Binah, in memory of his father, Irwin S. Moses. Since their marriage, in July 2009, the Moseses have established themselves as a devoted NJOP team, chairing the Young Leadership Ping Pong and Perrier event at Spin NY. They have also set new standards for hospitality, hosting hundreds of seeking Upper West Side Jews at their elegant Shabbat table.

This year's Leslie Nelkin Special Service Award will be shared by two very successful outreach practitioners from Southern Florida, Rabbi Efrem Goldberg and Rabbi Josh Broide. These two outreach powerhouses, who are active in the Boca Raton area, work effectively together and have the results to prove it. Rabbi Goldberg is the rabbi of Boca Raton Synagogue, which offers many of NJOP's programs and works in tandem with Rabbi Broide's Boca Raton Jewish Experience (BRJE). BRJE offers the entire line of NJOP programs. By utilizing NJOP's free programming, Rabbis Goldberg and Broide have been able to maximize their own programs' impact on their local Jewish community. Not only are the materials inspirational and educational, but by utilizing NJOP’s ready-made programs, the rabbis are able to more fully focus on furthering their relationships with the members of their community.

In addition to highlighting the many Jewish lives that have been touched by the National Jewish Outreach Program, the 17th Annual NJOP Dinner will also honor the memory of a man who, since NJOP’s infancy, did much to help it achieve what it has thus far accomplished. Carl Freyer passed away on September 21, 2010. He and his wife, NJOP Board Member Sylvia Freyer, have been extraordinarily generous and enthusiastic friends of NJOP for many years. This year, the Dinner will include a memorial to this great man whom NJOP and the Jewish people will profoundly miss.

So, mark your calendars and air out the tux...join us on Tuesday, February 1, 2011, as we celebrate the many ways in which the National Jewish Outreach Program is working to assure that the Jewish community in North America, and Jewish communities throughout the world, will continue to grow and flourish.

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