U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia will be the guest speaker at Agudath Israel of America’s upcoming 86th annual dinner, organizers have announced. The dinner will take place on Sunday evening, June 1 at the New York Hilton.

Justice Scalia, the second most senior Justice on the Supreme Court, was born in New Jersey and schooled in New York before attending Georgetown University and Harvard Law School, from which he graduated magna cum laude in 1960.  He married that year, and he and Mrs. Scalia have nine children.

In 1982, President Ronald Reagan appointed Mr. Scalia to be a Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and, four years later, nominated him to replace William Rehnquist as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.  The nomination was approved by the Senate in a vote of 98-0.  He took his seat on September 26, 1986, becoming the first Italian-American Justice on the High Court.

Agudath Israel’s dinner this year will be honoring the 10th yahrtzeit of Agudath Israel of America’s late president, Rabbi Moshe Sherer, z”l, with the presentation of a special Sefer Torah written in his memory.

This year’s Rabbi Moshe Sherer Memorial Award for lifelong devotion to Klal Yisroel will be presented to Chaim H. Leshkowitz. The HaGaon Rav Aharon Kotler Memorial Award for distinguished service to Torah will be accepted by the Herzka family, in memory of Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchok Herzka, z”l. The Reb Elimelech Tress Award for the preservation of the legacy of the Shearis Hapleitah will be accepted by Nussy Elbogen, in memory of his father, A. Leibish Elbogen, z”l. The Moreinu Yaakov Rosenheim Award for distinguished service to Agudath Israel will be presented to Yitzchok Fuchs. The Wolf Friedman Young Leadership Award will be presented to Raphael Treitel.

Avodas Hakodesh awards will be presented to Simcha B. David, Yaakov Kluger and Rabbi Boruch Saks.