2023 Distinguished Advocate Award Celebration

AJC Atlanta is proud to present our 2023 Distinguished Advocate Award to Rabbi Peter Berg of The Temple. Please join AJC Atlanta and help celebrate Rabbi Berg's incredible contributions to AJC and the greater Atlanta community. 

Tuesday, May 23, 2023
Doors open | 6:00 p.m.
Program | 7:00 p.m.
AKC Certified Kosher

Flourish Atlanta
3143 Maple Drive NE
Atlanta, GA 30305

To sponsor or reserve your tickets, click here!
 

Sponsorship Opportunities
Ambassadors: $100,000
Diplomats: $50,000
Delegates: $25,000
Advocates: $10,000
Emissaries: $5,000
Activists: $2,500
Partners: $1,250 
*each sponsorship includes two tickets to the event

Friday, May 12, is the last day to register and the final opportunity to be included as a sponsor in our printed program.

Honorary Chairs
Arthur Blank • Bernie Marcus

Dinner Chairs
Barbara & Alvin Sugarman

Honorary Event Chairs
Kent Alexander • Jon Amsler • Billy Bauman • Joshua Brener • Jim Grien • Lauren Grien • Doug Hertz • Jack Holland • Janet Lavine • Louis Lettes • Jeff Levy • Jackie Montag • Belinda Morris • Valerie Needle • Larry Pike • Jay Schwartz • Steve Selig

Host Committee Chairs
Susan & Brian Banner • Amie & Fred Herbert • Debbie & Lon Neese

Host Committee*

Questions: contact Lori Zelony at
zelonyl@ajc.org or (404) 233-5501 x5035
 

ABOUT RABBI PETER BERG

Peter Berg became the fifth senior rabbi of The Temple since 1895 in July of 2008. He is thrilled to serve this diverse and multi-generational congregation as a spiritual leader. Rabbi Berg is passionate about Jewish learning and meaningful worship, and he is an advocate for social change.

Prior to coming to The Temple, he served as rabbi of Temple Beth Or in Washington Township, New Jersey and as the Associate Rabbi of Temple Emanuel-El in Dallas, Texas. Additionally, he served Congregation Kol Ami in White Plains, New York as a rabbinic intern and at Beth El Hebrew Congregation in Alexandria, Virginia, as its Youth Director. 

Over the years, Rabbi Berg has spent a great deal of time working with advocacy groups on issues including but not limited to:  poverty & homelessness, criminal justice reform, preventing the human trafficking of minors, civil rights, religious freedom, ending mass incarceration, gun safety,  hate crimes, the environment, combatting antisemitism, and strengthening the U.S.- Israel relationship. 

He has served on numerous communal and advisory boards, including:  The American Jewish Congress, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Mental Health Association, Dallas for Children, the Westwood Area Clergy Association, The New York Service for the Handicapped, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) National Council, The Faith Alliance of Metro Atlanta (FAMA), The American Jewish Committee, and The Jewish Family and Career Services (JFCS) He served as  national  Program Chair for the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) also served on the editorial committee for the CCAR High Holy Day prayer book, Mishkan haNefesh. 

Rabbi Berg currently serves on the Board of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, the Anti-Defamation League, Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students (GEEARS), Faith In Public Life, OUTCRY: Faith Voices Against Gun Violence, Three Star, Home First, Georgia Interfaith Public Policy Center, The Community Foundation  of Greater Atlanta, and the Commission On Social Action for Reform Judaism. He is Immediate Past President of the Atlanta Rabbinical Association. 

Rabbi Berg serves on the advisory Boards of:  The American Jewish Archives (Vice-Chair), The Jewish Fertility Foundation, JumpSpark Teen Initiative, The Islamic Speakers Bureau, and the Grady Hospital Foundation. 

A native of Ocean Township, New Jersey, Rabbi Berg holds a degree in Education and Human Development, with a focus in human services, counseling, and Judaic Studies, from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He earned his M.A. in Hebrew Literature and his rabbinic ordination from Hebrew Union College- Jewish Institute of Religion in New York and Jerusalem, where he was a Steinhardt Fellow. Rabbi Berg also holds a certificate in Chemical Dependency and Spiritual Counseling and is a trained Disaster, Fire, and Police Chaplain.  He serves as a Chaplain for The Georgia State Patrol. 

In 2009, Rabbi Berg was inducted into the College of Preachers at Morehouse College.  Rabbi Berg was a member of the 2012 Leadership Atlanta class and is an active member of the Downtown Atlanta Rotary Club.  He was recently re-appointed to the Georgia Holocaust Commission by the Lt. Governor. 

In 2013, Rabbi Berg was named by Newsweek and The Daily Beast as one of the top 50 most influential rabbis in the United States of America.  In 2016, he was named by Georgia Trend as one of the 100 Most Influential Georgians and in 2019 and 2020 as one of Atlanta’s Most Powerful Leaders. 

Rabbi Berg lives in Atlanta with his wife Karen, a teacher and tutor, and their three children.