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August 6, 2004/Av 19 5763, Vol. 55, No. 46
AEPi convenes in Valley
International convention fosters brotherhood
JENNIFER GOLDBERG
Staff Writer
Two local rabbis will be initiated as fraternity brothers at the 91st annual convention of Alpha Epsilon Pi to be held Aug. 11-14 at JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort in Phoenix.
Rabbi Jordan Goldson of Temple Kol Ami in Scottsdale and Rabbi Arthur Lavinsky of Beth El Congregation in Phoenix will participate in a model initiation on Aug. 13 during the international Jewish fraternity convention.
As a former Hillel director for California State University-Northridge, Goldson interacted frequently with members of the university's AEPi chapter.
"To be a symbolic brother ... is an honor," Goldson said. "(AEPi) does wonderful work for the Jewish young men on college campuses across the country."
More than 300 local and out-of-state undergraduates and alumni are expected to attend the convention, said AEPi Executive Vice President Sidney Dunn.
Delegates will participate in seminars on business etiquette, chapter discipline and recruitment tactics, as well as annual award presentations, selection of an international philanthropy project and a new-member initiation.
Members of the AEPi chapter at Arizona State University in Tempe are event hosts and will help with registration, setup and other tasks.
Dunn said the convention offers an opportunity for undergraduates to meet other undergraduates and alumni and to learn skills useful in fraternity life and beyond.
"We conduct a leadership school," he said, "and it is basically geared toward undergraduates. ... Also, lifelong friendships are made, you get to interact with the leadership of the fraternity, you get to ask questions, learn about our Israel advocacy programs, help us pick our new international philanthropy, as well as it's just a bonding experience."
The convention will begin Wednesday, Aug. 11, with a meeting of the national fraternity board following by a town hall meeting of undergraduates and alumni. Sherwin Pomerantz, the keynote speaker, is a former AEPi board member who is now president of Atid EDI Ltd., an Israeli company that facilitates trade between U.S. and Israeli businesses.
Thursday breakout sessions will address leadership issues. A dinner and award presentation that evening will honor Howard Lorber, an AEPi alumni and the CEO of Nathan's Famous, the hotdog maker, with the Arthur Teich Award for outstanding alumnus achievement. Previous recipients include CNN reporter Wolf Blitzer and National Hockey League commissioner Gary Bettman.
Entry fees to a Texas "hold-em" poker tournament Thursday night will benefit AEPi's philanthropy project.
Friday will conclude with Reform and traditional Shabbat services, followed by a Shabbat meal and presentation of service awards. AEPi alumnus Mark Lainer, chairman of the Los Angeles Jewish Federation Foundation, will receive the Gitelson Medallion for service. Awards will also be given to chapters who performed outstanding ser-vice during the year.
Saturday leadership ses-sions and scheduled re-creation time will follow Shabbat morning services.
Gary Shapiro of Scottsdale, a past AEPi international president and alumnus of the Alpha Sigma chapter at ASU, said the convention is something from which both undergraduates and alumni can benefit.
He said that when college-age men learn what other AEPi chapters are achieving, "it energizes them up to go back to their local chapter and do better things.
"For alumni and under-graduates, it's also a chance to renew friendships."
To attend the convention, AEPi members and alumni can register online at www.aepi.org or in person at JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort. Call (800) 223-2374.
Contact the writer at jennifer_goldberg@jewishaz.com.
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