Beth David Synagogue’s Annual Dinner will take place on Sunday, May 4, with the Jack and Mary Ferber Award being given to attorney and community member Richard C. Lewis. The catered event will begin at 3 pm at the synagogue with a cocktail and hors d’oeuvres hour, followed by a catered sit-down dinner at 4 pm. The cost per person is $65 and sponsorships are available. Invitations will be sent out in April, as well as raffle tickets for purchase for the cash prizes at the event. Those wanting further information can contact the synagogue at 607-722-1793 or bethdavid@stny.rr.com. 
“Together with his devoted wife, Lori A. Lewis, and their daughters, Emily and Anna Lewis, Dick Lewis has been a proud member of Binghamton’s Jewish community for more than 50 years,” said organizers of the event. “He has worked tirelessly to support local institutions, including Beth David Synagogue, Temple Israel, the Jewish Federation of Greater Binghamton, the Jewish Community Center and, of course, Hillel Academy of Broome County, where Emily and Anna completed kindergarten through eighth grade before going on to and graduating from Binghamton High School and colleges in upstate New York. He has also had many leadership roles in the general community.”
Organizers added, “Everyone who knows Dick will tell you what a gem of a human being he is; his impact on the community is beyond measure.” Beth David President Saba Wiesner recounted her experience when she asked Lewis if he would be the synagogue’s attorney if they needed legal advice. “Before I could finish my sentence,” she recalled, “he said, ‘Of course!” 
Over the decades that he has lived in Binghamton, Lewis’ leadership skills have taken many forms. Beginning in 2002, he served for eight years as president of Hillel Academy of Broome County. He is also a past president of Temple Israel. At the Jewish Federation of Greater Binghamton, he has served as chairman of the Editorial Board of The Reporter, and was a member of the Federation’s Executive Committee, in addition to its Endowment Committee. 
“We marvel at Dick’s boundless energy and passion, in all he does for the community,” organizers said, “given the important and time-intensive role he plays in his legal career.” A graduate of Ithaca College and University of Illinois Chicago/John Marshall Law School, Lewis is an attorney at Hinman, Howard and Kattell, focusing on litigation and all aspects of business law. 
He is the immediate past president of the 80,000-member New York State Bar Association, elected to serve for the 2023-24 term. With the beginning of his 12-month term on June 1, 2023, Lewis spearheaded what has been called “groundbreaking initiatives.” In that first month, he served as Executive Committee liaison on a task force he created on Combating Antisemitism and Anti-Asian Hate. The House of Delegates passed the approximately 50-page report in January 2024. As the featured guest at Beth David’s September 2024 Luncheon Speaker Series, Lewis provided a copy of the report to everyone who attended. In addition, he worked with former Secretary of State Loretta Lynch and former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson to put out a nationally recognized work on advancing diversity. Both have been adopted as policy by numerous bar associations, including the American Bar Association.
“Dick is so deserving of this honor,” says Rabbi Zev Silber, spiritual leader of Beth David. “Whether we need him to make a minyan or use his legal expertise, he doesn’t know how to say ‘no.’ The Federation and every agency I can think of have benefited from his skills and sincere love of our community. We encourage everyone to be part of a celebration that is sure to be as special as he is!”