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ORT Jewelry Chapter to Honor Helene Fortunoff

Helene Fortunoff will receive the ORT Jewelry Industry Achievement Ward at a dinner in her honor on Thursday, October 10, 1996, at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City.

Mrs. Fortunoff is a recognized international leader in the merchandising and design of fine jewelry. She established the fine jewelry division of Fortunoff Jewelry and Silver Sales, with stores in Westbury, Long Island; Fifth Avenue, New York; Wayne, Paramus and Woodbridge, New Jersey. Her 39 year career in the jewelry business has won her many accolades.

The first recipient of the Morris B. Zale Award for retailing excellence, she also received the same honor from the Women's Jewelry Associated Hall of Fame, and in 1993 was elected president of the association. She was the first woman honoree for Israel Bonds in the jewelry division.

The United States Carat Club, a private DeBeers group, invited Mrs. Fortunoff to be the first woman member of this prestigious group. In addition, she has been the recipient of the Long Island Association of Commerce and Industry Award. In 1979, Mrs. Fortunoff was the leader of the first American mission to the Jerusalem Jewelry Fair. She is a past board member of the Society of Jewelry Historians USA and the American Israel Chamber of Commerce.

In 1990, she was made an honoree for the first retail Diamond Information Steering Committee Dinner, and received the Retailer Hall of Fame Award from National Jeweler Magazine. And religious organizations. A trustee of Sinai, Temple Mrs. Fortunoff has always reserved time for Roslyn Heights, she also serves as director of community endowments, as well as trustee for the North Shore Family and Child Guidance Association, where she was honored as their 1996 Woman of Achievement.

Mrs. Fortunoff is also on the board of Hofstra University and currently serves as a vice chair. She is a past board member of the Jewelers of America, the Fine arts Museum of Long Island, the Nassau Museum of Fine Arts, the National Conference of Christians and Jews and the Women's Chairman Emeritus of its Long Island Chapter. In 1988 she was an honoree for the Boy scouts of America.

Her most recent honor was presented by UJA Federation of New York's Diamond and Jewelry Division. She is also a charter member of the UJA Women of Distinction. In June 1993, she received the Torch of Liberty Award from the Anti defamation League.

Mrs. Fortunoff's business activities regularly take her to Hong King, Bombay, Bangkok, Tel Aviv, Antwerp, Basel, Milan, Vicenza and Paris. She is a sought after speaker and lecturer, and her profiles and interviews appear in major international publications. She takes special pleasure in fostering and nurturing the careers of young jewelry designers. She pursues her interest in gem and industry standards as a member of the Alumni Association of Gemological Institute of America and the Jewelers' Vigilance Committee. cum laude graduate in business administration from New York University.

Mrs. Fortunoff is the mother of six children. She and her husband, Alan, make their home in Old Westbury, New York. ORT's Jewelry Industry Chapter supports the ORT Worldwide network of schools. The largest ORT operation is in Israel, where more than 96,000 students attend 145 junior and senior high schools and colleges. Special ORT vocational training and job placement programs have been created to serve the massive immigration of Russian and Ethiopian Jews to Israel.

In the U.S., ORT operates three technical schools in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York, and 12 off site programs with a combined student body of 5,000. For information on reservations and the yearbook which will be produced in conjunction with the event, please call Gary Perl at (212)353 5822.