American Jewish Committee Presents Its Akiba Award To Leslie Wexner, CEO Of The Limited

American Jewish Committee
Friday, 15 May 1998

The American Jewish Committee today presented its Akiba Award to Leslie H. Wexner, Chairman and Founder of The Limited, Inc., for "his efforts to strengthen the next generation of Jewish leaders." In particular, Mr. Wexner is being honored for his philanthropic leadership in establishing the Wexner Foundation and the Wexner Heritage Foundation to enhance the quality of Jewish life and peoplehood.

The Akiba Award is presented by AJC for exceptional contributions to the enrichment of Jewish intellectual, cultural, and communal life in the United States.

The presentation was made during the human relation's 92nd Annual Dinner gala, celebrating Israel's 50th Anniversary. The AJC Annual Meeting is taking place through Friday at the Capital Hilton Hotel. The evening session included a keynote address by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and also paid tribute to the Presidents of Uruguay and Costa Rica for their nation's commitment to the Jewish State throughout the years. Other awards presented at the dinner included AJC's Distinguished Leadership Award to outgoing AJC National President Robert S. Rifkind, and AJC's Public Service Award to Rolf Ekeus, Chair of the UN Special Commission for Iraq from 1991-1997, and currently Ambassador of Sweden to the U.S.

The Akiba Award was presented to Mr. Wexner by Robert S. Rifkind, AJC National President. Mr. Rifkind described Mr. Wexner not only as "a leader in the field of business, but as "the guiding force propelling The Wexner Foundation and The Wexner Heritage Foundation to new levels of achievement and excellence enriching Jewish communal life and shaping Jewish philanthropic norms."

In 1985, Mr. Wexner established the Wexner Heritage Foundation to educate Jewish communal leaders in the history, thought, traditions, and contemporary challenges of the Jewish people. His conviction was and remains that major Jewish leadership positions require Judaic training. The program seeks to expand the vision of volunteer Jewish leaders, deepen their Jewish values, and bring a Jewish language of discourse to their policy and decision-making in the community. Through an intensive two-year program of bi-weekly seminars and annual week-long institutes, covering a curriculum of basic Judaism, Jewish history, Jewish thought, and contemporary Jewish issues, the program engages participants with the classic texts of Judaic heritage and with outstanding faculty able to transmit that heritage. In turn, the program enables participants to serve their communities with an enhanced sense of Jewish authenticity, confidence, and effectiveness. Significantly, the Foundation strongly believes in religious pluralism and crosses denominational Jewish lines in its recruitment of participants, staff, and faculty.

In 1987 Mr. Wexner established The Wexner Foundation to strengthen the quality of Jewish professional leadership both in Israel and North America. The Foundation administers two programs—the Wexner Graduate Fellowship and the Wexner Israel Fellowship.

The Wexner Graduate Fellowship Program is designed to attract promising men and women into professional leadership careers in the North American Jewish community emphasizing Jewish education, Jewish communal service, the rabbinate, cantorate, and academic Jewish studies. Through a four-year fellowship and training program, a true community of Jewish professionals is created, affording unique opportunities for ongoing interaction with mentors and role models and preparing them to confront the vital issues of the Jewish communal agenda. A true laboratory of pluralism has been created demonstrating how Jews of very diverse and often contradictory beliefs and opinions may join together to better understand one another and pursue shared goals of building a stronger Jewish people.

The Wexner-Israel Fellowship Program was established in 1989 together with Harvard University enabling outstanding Israeli government officials to pursue advanced study at the John F. Kennedy School of Government. The program aims to provide Israel's next generation of leaders with advanced public management training and reflect on Israel's public policy issues and challenges. Through a series of special institutes, Wexner-Israel Fellows study the dynamics of the American Jewish community and interact with American Jews to build stronger ties between Israel and American Jewry.

Through these programs to train and strengthen Jewish volunteer and professional leadership, Mr. Wexner is addressing the vital issues of the Jewish communal agenda of the 1990's -- ensuring Jewish continuity, fostering Jewish unity and pluralism, and strengthening Israel-Diaspora relations. Alumni of these programs have already begun to play critical roles within the Jewish people, and are poised to transform the shape of Jewish life in the future. Mr. Wexner's work fulfills the dictum of the preeminent Jewish historian Salo Baron that a core of Jewish lay and professional leaders may hold the key to building the Jewish future.

Leslie H. Wexner holds a B.S. degree in Business Administration from The Ohio State University and honorary degrees from Brandeis University, the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, Yeshiva University, and Hebrew Union College. He serves as a trustee of the Aspen Institute, the Columbus Jewish Federation, and chairs the Board of Trustees of The Ohio State University.

Past recipients of AJC's Akiba Award, created in 1980, have included Dr. Jehuda Reinharz, Prof. Naomi Wiener Cohen, Prof. Emil Fackenheim, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Rabbi Irving Greenberg, the Jewish Publication Society, Rabbi Harold Schulweis, Dr. Salo Baron, Rabbi Emanuel Rackman, and Dr. Louis Finkelstein.

For more information, or to contact American Jewish Committee, see their website at: www.ajc.org