WHITE PLAINS, NY — AJC Westchester/Fairfield announced it will be awarding its Distinguished Leadership Award to former Regional and National President E. Robert Goodkind. The award will be presented by current AJC National President Stanley Bergman. The evening will be moderated by Dinner Co-Chairs, Marvin Israelow and Harriet Schleifer. The program will focus on AJC – Past, Present and Future and will feature a keynote address by Rabbi David Ellenson. Toasts will be made by Westchester residents, AJC CEO David Harris, U.S. Congresswoman Nita Lowey and AJC National Board of Governors member Eugene Grant. The Gala will take place at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in White Plains on May 19th starting at 6:00 p.m. Limited press passes available.
AJC is the leading global Jewish advocacy organization. Through unparalleled access to diplomats, government officials, and religious leaders, AJC is able to impact opinion and policy at the highest levels. AJC fights for a safer, more peaceful future for the Jewish people, Israel, and all humanity.
Bob Goodkind has been an important and dynamic leader of AJC for more than 50 years. Bob was already a member of the Westchester Executive Board when the AJC Westchester Chapter opened its doors in 1966. He is a Past Regional President of AJC Westchester/Fairfield and a past National President of AJC. He has held many other positions of significance at AJC including Treasurer and Chairman of AJC’s National Council and Board of Trustees, Chair of the Contemporary Jewish Life and Domestic Affairs Commissions, and Chair of AJC’s Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights Administrative Council. He currently serves on the Board of AJC’s Dorothy and Julius Koppelman Institute on American Jewish-Israeli Relations as a Co-Chair of the Development Committee and is a member of the Steering Committee of the Jewish Religious Equality Coalition (JREC).
Outside of AJC, Bob is a Partner of Pryor Cashman and a member of its Corporate, Private Client, Labor & Employment and Real Estate groups. With deep legal experience gained from more than 57 years of active practice, Bob directs the legal teams serving his corporate and nonprofit clients and works on matters encompassing trusts and estates, tax-exempt organizations, real estate, corporate finance and tax planning. In addition to working with longtime clients such as Henry Schein, Inc., the world’s largest provider of health care products and services, Bob also represents newer companies in diverse fields. Bob also advises Pryor Cashman’s distinguished nonprofit clientele on general legal matters, estate planning, tax liability and issues related to their tax-exempt status.
Bob is a resident of Rye, and a member of Community Synagogue of Rye. He is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School.
A familiar figure in New York’s humanitarian, cultural and philanthropic community, Bob provides pro bono legal counsel to several organizations and is Chairman of the Jewish Museum, The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous, and the American Academy of the Dramatic Arts. He serves on the Board of the Israel Policy Forum, Jewish Broadcasting System, and Repair the World, and until recently served on the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts.
Bob has been the recipient of many awards including AJC’s Distinguished Leadership Award in 2007 and The Blue Card Richard C. Holbrooke Award for Social Justice in 2012.
Bob Goodkind’s service to AJC, the Jewish people, and human rights for all has made a great impact on society and has been an inspiration to the many who act to follow in his footsteps.