Bais Abraham Congregation is celebrating its 122nd year at 6:30 p.m., Sunday, March 27, at the synagogue, 6910 Delmar Blvd. in the University City Loop.    

Founded in 1894, Bais Abraham is the oldest Orthodox synagogue in St. Louis and one of the oldest west of the Mississippi. The congregation has grown in recent years with many new members, including young individuals and families. Bais Abraham has always been known for its warm and welcoming atmosphere, the diversity of its members, and its seriousness in prayer and Torah study.      

The event will honor Drs. Gregory Storch and Lisa Ring. Ring, a dermatologist, is an involved supporter of the Bais Abe community. Storch, Bais Abraham’s immediate past president, is Chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Disease and the Director of Clinical Microbiology Laboratories at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.    

The synagogue also will present the Young Leadership Award to Andrea Bennett and Daniel Weisz, for their work steering YABA, Young Adults @ Bais Abe. Stuart Klamen will receive the congregation’s Chesed Award for his exemplary kindness toward community members and his dedication to Bais Abraham as a teacher and volunteer.   

Though the evening’s primary goal is to raise funds for Bais Abraham’s growing annual operating budget, this year, Storch and Ring have also established a fund to spark further giving to help Bais Abraham make its century-old building accessible to those with disabilities. A Sabbath-compliant elevator and accessible bathrooms are vital to the congregation’s spirit of welcoming and its commitment to removing barriers to entry for all Jews.     

As part of this effort, the speaker for the event will be David J. Newburger, who will discuss “Welcoming People with Disabilities into the Community.”   

Newburger is a founder of the Starkloff Disability Institute and the Commissioner on the Disabled for the City of St. Louis. In all his capacities, he works toward the fundamental goal of making it possible for individuals with disabilities to be full and active participants in the community. In the Starkloff Disability Institute, his main goal is to help employers find ways to hire, retain and promote individuals with disabilities. As ADA Coordinator for the City, he works with various developers, organizations, and other businesses to help them understand accessibility principles, nondiscrimination in the workplace, and universal design efforts.    

Newburger has a B.A. from Oberlin College and J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law. He came to St. Louis to be Assistant Professor of Law at Washington University where he taught business law for seven years. He then started the law firm of Newburger & Vossmeyer. Newburger is married with one married daughter and two grandchildren. He had polio as an infant and has mobility and related disabilities. 

 For more information about the Bais Abraham event, call 314-721-3030 or visit baisabe.com.