AJC to fete Wyden with award

By Jewish Review

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American Jewish Committee-Oregon Chapter will honor U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) with its 2008 Human Relations Award at a dinner on Tuesday, May 27. The dinner will be held at the Benson Hotel, with a reception at 6 p.m. and dinner at 7 p.m.

Wyden has been representing Oregon in the U.S. Senate since 1996. He is one of the nation’s leading voices on health care, including protecting seniors from unscrupulous Medicare insurance scams and exposing the tobacco industry’s willingness to lie about the addictiveness of their products. He has been a consistent voice for a strong and sensible national security policy and has served as a member of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence since 2001, where he has worked to conduct vigorous oversight of America’s intelligence agencies. He is a staunch supporter of Israel.

Wyden’s work as a consumer advocate includes working for nursing home protections as well as fighting to keep the Internet free of discrimination, both in terms of access to content and unfair taxes. He also has long been a leading watchdog of the oil and gas industry, blowing the whistle on oil companies’ anti-competitive practices that drive up gas prices in Oregon and across the nation. The senator has introduced legislation to permanently protect more than 300,000 acres of wilderness in our state.

Throughout his public service, Wyden has earned a reputation as an independent voice for Oregonians and the nation, offering creative, common-sense solutions on issues that make a real difference in people’s lives.

The 2008 Dinner Chair is Jordan Schnitzer.

For ticket information, contact the AJC office at 503-295-6761 or e-mail Portland@ajc.org.