Jewish National Fund to Honor Gary Jacob at Tree of Life™ Award Dinner

Contact: Howard Ingram • JNF Greater New York Associate Zone Director • 212-879-9305 ext. 509 • hingram@jnf.org

April 5, 2006—New York, NY— Gary Jacob, executive vice president of Glenwood Management Corp., will receive Jewish National Fund’s Tree of Life™ Award for his exceptional contribution to the Jewish community and the land of Israel.  The award dinner will be held on Wednesday, May 31, 2006 at 6:00 pm at the Waldorf Astoria. 

“I have had the privilege of working with Gary professionally and that privilege has only been surpassed in having had the opportunity to get to know him and his wife Linda personally through their many charitable endeavors,” said Jeffrey E. Levine of Levine Builders, JNF Greater New York board president and past recipient of the Tree of Life Award. 

The Tree of Life Award is a humanitarian award presented to individuals for their outstanding community involvement, their dedication to the cause of American-Israeli friendship, and their devotion to peace and the security of human life.  The award recognizes leaders for their achievements and innovations in industry, government and education. 

Past honorees include Donald Trump, former Vice President Al Gore, Peter Kalikow, Michael T. Cohen, Mortimer Zuckerman, Elizabeth Dole, and Steven Goodstein.   

Funds raised at the event will benefit JNF’s Blueprint Negev, the initiative to develop Israel’s Negev desert into a hospitable, habitable environment that will become home to an additional 250,000 people over the next five years.  In February, Jacob traveled to Israel for the first time on a JNF mission, where he witnessed firsthand JNF’s work in developing new Negev communities and bolstering existing ones.  
 
Gary Jacob has devoted his career to the acquisition, construction, financing and management of high-rise buildings in New York City.  He currently serves as executive vice president of Glenwood Management Corp., one of the city's largest owners and builders of luxury rental apartments.

He is also very active in planning and policy making for the real estate industry, serving as vice president of the Rent Stabilization Association and executive vice president of the Associated Builders and Owners of New York.  In addition, he is the co-chairman of the Housing Committee of the Real Estate Board of New York and sits on the M & T Bank Mortgage Advisory Board.
 
Jacob is a member of the board of directors of the Settlement Housing Fund Inc., a non-profit developer and manager of affordable housing in New York City.  He is also vice president of the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation and vice chairman-finance of the Lincoln Square Business Improvement District.

Serving as Tree of Life dinner chairs are David R. Greenbaum of Vornado Realty Trust, James L. Hedden of Bank of America, Dennis Herman of Beekman International Center, LLC, Robert J. Ivanhoe of Greenberg Traurig, LLP, Jeffrey E. Levine of Levine Builders, and Stephen B. Siegel of CB Richard Ellis, Inc.  The journal chair is William C. McCahill, Jr. of Apollo Real Estate Advisors, L.P, a former recipient of the Tree of Life Award. 

For more information about the Tree of Life Award Dinner, please contact Howard Ingram at 212-879-9305 ext. 509 or hingram@jnf.org.

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JEWISH NATIONAL FUND (JNF) began in 1901 as a dream and vision to reestablish a homeland in Israel for Jewish people everywhere. Jews the world over collected coins in iconic JNF Blue Boxes, purchasing land and planting trees until ultimately, their dream of a Jewish homeland was a reality. JNF gives all generations of Jews a unique voice in building a prosperous future for the land of Israel and its people.

JNF embodies both heart and action; our work is varied in scope but singular in benefit. We strive to bring an enhanced quality of life to all of Israel’s residents, and translate these advancements to the world beyond. JNF is greening the desert with millions of trees, building thousands of parks, creating new communities and cities for generations of Israelis to call home, bolstering Israel’s water supply, helping develop innovative arid-agriculture techniques, and educating both young and old about the founding and importance of Israel and Zionism.

JNF is a registered 501(c)(3) organization and United Nations NGO, which continuously earns top ratings from charity overseers.

For more information on JNF, call 888-JNF-0099 or visit usa.jnf.org.