Chicago Shluchim and Politician Meet at Dinner

An eclectic assemblage of “Who’s Who” of prominent leaders on the Chicago political and Jewish establishment scenes, including Chicago Mayor, Rahm Emmanuel, and President of the Cook County Board of Supervisors, Toni Preckwinkle, gathered at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Chicago on Monday night to partake in the 2011 Awards & Celebration Dinner for the America-Israel Chamber of Commerce Chicago (AICC).

In recognition of the fact that the well-attended, high-class event honored two prominent philanthropists – Beatrice Goldberg-Crain and Yakov Yarmove – both of whom are at the forefront of furthering the educational and outreach efforts of Friends of Refugees of Eastern Europe (FREE) Illinois, Rabbi Shmuel Notik, Executive Director of FREE, was invited to deliver the opening invocation for the festivities. Before proceeding with the formal prayer, Rabbi Notik took a moment to pay tribute to the evening’s Honorees, whom he described as “dear friends” and “extraordinary individuals who live with a sense of higher purpose”.

Beatrice Crain-Goldberg, who was presented with the evening’s Community Leadership Award, had recently marked her 90th birthday by announcing a momentous gift she and her son, Dr. Michael Maling, would be making to FREE via their Crain-Maling Charitable Foundation; a 10-acre parcel of land in Riverwoods upon which the organization is now gearing up to build a magnificent new multipurpose facility that will bear the Crain-Maling family name.

Yakov Yarmove, a Corporate Business Manager of Ethnic Marketing and Specialty Foods for SuperValu, who was honored with the evening’s Business Leadership Award, is himself a proud born-and-bred “Chabadnik” and an active and respected lay-leader in FREE’s Rogers Park synagogue, which is under the spiritual leadership of Rabbi Shmuel Notik’s elder son, Rabbi Levi Notik, who also serves as Director of Development for the greater organization.

Rabbi Shmuel Notik also had kind words for the AICC whose mission is to promote new channels – and strengthen existing channels – of trade and industry between the United States and Israel. He shared how even back when the Israeli economy was in dire straits, the Lubavitcher Rebbe would passionately encourage people to invest in Israel without fear or hesitation, emphasizing that “Eretz Yisroel is one of the surest places on the globe!” Notik pointed out that today all can see how prophetic the Rebbe’s words were in that “even as economies around the world are crumbling, Israel’s – thank G-d – is booming!”

In his formal benediction, Rabbi Notik invoked the merit of the Land of Israel as the heritage of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their descendants for time eternal. He blessed the assembled with “health of body, peace of mind and purity of spirit”, enabling them to advance their vital works from strength to strength. He concluded with a petition that the Almighty crown the assembly’s efforts with success in achieving not only economic ends, but spiritual and humanitarian ends as well, thereby effectuating a new era of peace, stability and tranquility for Israel and all of mankind – with the realization of the day envisioned by the prophets when “nation will no longer lift sword against nation” and the emergence of a great hunger and thirst – not for bread or water – but “to hear the word of G-d”.