The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation will present its 2013 Distinguished Peace Leadership Award to Rabbi Leonard Beerman at the 30th Annual Evening for Peace, Sunday, Oct. 27, at La Pacifica Ballroom and Terrace, Four Seasons Resort, The Biltmore.
The Distinguished Peace Leadership Award is presented annually to individuals who have demonstrated courageous leadership in the cause of peace. This year’s recipient, Rabbi Beerman, is a unique peace leader; a blend of intellect, integrity, compassion and a deep commitment to peace with justice. In 1979, he and Reverend George Regas co-founded the Interfaith Center to Reverse the Arms Race, an organization that awakened religious leaders and, through them, their congregations, to the realization that the abolition of nuclear weapons is a profoundly moral issue.
As the rabbi of Leo Baeck Temple in West Los Angeles for 37 years before retiring in 1986, he could always be counted on to take a stand against human suffering. He counseled conscientious objectors during the Vietnam War. Cesar Chavez spoke from his pulpit, as did Daniel Ellsberg just before his Pentagon Papers trial.
For years, Rabbi Beerman has fought for peace and justice and brought conscience and faith to bear upon the many important peace and disarmament issues of our time. He has inspired countless women and men who have gone on to work on issues of peace and justice in their communities and beyond.
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation has a rich history of honoring remarkable leaders who pursue peace. Past recipients include the XIVth Dalai Lama, Walter Cronkite, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Ted Turner, Captain Jacques-Yves Cousteau, and Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan are among many other distinguished leaders.
In addition to raising much-needed funds to support the Foundation’s work for a world free of nuclear weapons, the event’s program is designed to celebrate and encourage leadership for a more peaceful and just world. Over 80 students from local colleges and high schools will be able to attend this year’s event thanks to sponsors who have underwritten the cost of their tickets.
The evening will begin at 5:30 P.M. with a reception and silent auction on the Biltmore’s La Pacifica Terrace to be followed by the awards program and dinner at 6:30 P.M. in the La Pacifica Ballroom.
To learn more about the Evening For Peace, visit www.wagingpeace.org or call the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation at 805-965-3443.