American Friends of Lubavitch Gala Honors Palantir CEO Dr. Alex Karp

Over 500 people packed Union Station on Tues Sept. 16 for the Annual Lamplighter Awards Dinner in support of American Friends of Lubavitch (Chabad) in Washington, DC.

The magnificent event honored Dr. Alex C. Karp, Co-founder and CEO of Palantir. The Leadership Award was bestowed upon Hon. Hakeem S. Jeffries, Democratic Leader of the US House of Representatives.

Over 50 US House and Senate Leadership and members, ambassadors and senior diplomats joined business and communal leaders in a strong show of support for the organization’s efforts, representing in our nation’s capital the international Chabad-Lubavitch movement, which has over 4,500 affiliates in 50 states and over 110 countries. Chabad-Lubavitch is currently the worlds’ largest and most dynamic Jewish network of educational and social services.

The event was chaired by Mr. John Fish, Chairman, Suffolk Co. along with co-chairs Mr. Norm Brownstein, Chairman, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, Mr. Jeff DeBoer, President and CEO of The Real Estate Roundtable, and Mr. Josh Harris, Executive Vice President of Palantir.

Guests were heard marveling at the absolutely unparalleled Catering presentation (another huge success by Table One), and the event was held under very tight security in light of recent events and the attendees. The normally bustling Great Hall of Union Station, with its soaring 90′ ceilings, was instead filled with the sounds of clinking glasses and dishes, punctuated by the beautiful music and meaningful words of the speakers at this premiere Washington event.

After a warm welcome from a special military Color Guard and Mrs. Nechama Shemtov, Director of Women’s Issues and Education, the Motzie was said by Rabbi Shmaya Krinsky, Executive Director of Machne Israel at the World Lubavitch Headquarters in Brooklyn, NY. Mrs. Rachel Goldberg Polin, the mother of slain Gaza hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin hy”d then shared very moving remarks and introduced the evening’s Honoree.

Rabbi Levi Shemtov, Executive Vice President of American Friends of Lubavitch (Chabad) then presented Dr. Karp with three gifts. In addition to a brilliant silver menorah, a sofer was on hand to inscribed letters for the honoree, his brother, Ben Karp, as well as the event’s co-chairs. They were each honored with dipping the quill into the ink for the sofer to use.

And then, a most meaningful gift.

The story is well known about how the Rebbe sent a personal emissary to the home of Dr. Victor Frankl in Vienna, a renowned psychologist who had survived the Holocaust and wanted to give up on life and sail far away to privacy. Instead, at the Rebbe’s urging, he rebuilt his life in Vienna. He wrote one of the past century’s most impactful books “Man’s Search for Meaning”, which has sold over 16 million copies.

A rare copy of the first printing of the first edition of the above book, in the original German – and inscribed by Dr. Frankl to a fellow survivor of the Dachau concentration camp – was presented to Dr. Karp, a fluent German speaker and himself a prominent scholar with a PhD in neoclassical social theory.

Dr. Karp was visibly moved, and held onto the book himself declining to let anyone else hold it for him.

Mr. William Daroff, CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, spoke of Chabad- Lubavitch’s commitment on the front lines, especially after Oct. 7.

The event closed with a soaring rendition of Avinu Malkeinu and Ani Maamin by Maestro Samuel Nebyu of the Emirates Orchestra and a powerful greeting by Ms. Rocky Zislin, President of Chabad GW, who spoke of the strength students feel through Chabad in these challenging times. In fact, Shluchim of several campuses were present including Rabbis Shmuly Hecht of Yale (and the Shabtai Society, accompanied by his wife, Toby), Eitan Webb of Princeton, Dov Greenberg of Stanford, Eli Gurevitz of Haverford, Moshe Leib Gray of Dartmouth, Yehoshua Hecht of American, Yitzi Ceitlin of Georgetown National Law Center, and Rabbi Yisroel Spalter of Weston, FL.

Organization of the amazing event was overseen by Rabbi Menachem Shemtov, Founder of Chabad Georgetown and Rabbi at the Pentagon, as well as Rabbi Eli Shemtov, Associate Rabbi at TheSHUL of the Nation’s Capital and Director of JGrads / Chabad Young Professionals DC, and Mrs. Esti Hecht, Co-Director of Chabad AU and Director of Education at Chabad on Campus International.

Rabbi Mordi Gutnick, a prominent investor and dedicated supporter of American Friends of Lubavitch (Chabad), concluded the evening with Birkat Hamazon, the Grace after Meals.

A truly uplifting experience.

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