West Bloomfield, MI -- (ReleaseWire) -- 09/16/2015 --The Michigan Jewish Sports Foundation (MJSF) celebrates its annual induction of the 2015 Hall of Fame Class and pays tribute to the recipients in the 2015 Pillars of Excellence. The dinner and induction ceremony will take place on Tuesday, October 20th, starting at 5:00 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center in West Bloomfield, Michigan. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Stars of Tomorrow scholarship program, Maccabi Detroit at the JCC, and the Michigan Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. We are honored to have our presenting sponsors this year include Kenwal Steel and Quicken Loans.

The Michigan Jewish Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2014 inductees include: Dale Katz, Mark Cahn, and Karen Green Simon.

The evening will celebrate the 2015 Alvin Foon Humanitarian Award Honoree, Vinnie Johnson, former Detroit Piston and CEO, Piston Group. The Alvin Foon Humanitarian Award was established to honor the memory of one of the MJSF founders and is presented to an individual or individuals for outstanding contributions to athletics and the community.

The 2015 Pillars of Excellence award was established a year ago to honor lifetime achievement and outstanding contributions to athletics and the enrichment of the community. These honorees include: Stephen Bernstein, Robert Gershman, Irvin Horwitz, Edward Kozloff, Harold Kutnick(Z"L), and Mort Levitsky (Z"L).

The Jewish News High School Female Athlete of the Year is Emily Fisher from Detroit Country Day School. The Jewish News Co-Male Athlete of the Year are Griffin Mertz from North Farmington High School and Jonathan Raider from Berkley High School.

To attend, guests may arrive at 5:00p.m for a sit down dinner in Handleman Hall, awards program, and afterglow for $175 or promptly at 7:30p.m in the Berman Center for the Performing Arts theater for the awards program and afterglow for only $75. There is also special dinner pricing for young adults, 17-35 years of age, for $75 and child/youth tickets, 16 and under, for $36. Tickets, sponsorships, and tribute and program ads can be purchased by contacting David Blatt at 248-592-9323 or at dbatt@michiganjewishsports.org. The MJSF is also accepting donated items for the silent auction.

About The Michigan Jewish Sports Foundation
The Michigan Jewish Sports Foundation is a 501(c)(3) philanthropic organization committed to honoring Jewish individuals connected to the State of Michigan who have distinguished themselves in sports and to foster Jewish identity through athletics. Since its inception 30 years ago, thanks to the generosity of many and through annual fundraising initiatives, well over $1,000,000 has been raised to help fight prostate cancer through grants to the Weisberg Cancer Treatment Center at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute. In addition, the MJSF has supported the Jewish News High School Athletes of the Year scholarships; the Jewish Community Center's Camp KAT, Maccabi Games, The Bear Hug Foundation; and the Michigan Jewish Sports Hall of Fame located in the West Bloomfield Jewish Community Center.

The Hall of Fame, founded in 1984 to honor Jewish individuals who have demonstrated achievement in sports and to raise funds for charitable contributions to benefit health, education and the less privileged, is home to over 90 plaques of notable Jewish athletes include Hank Greenberg, Bill Davidson, Aaron Krickstein, Kathryn Krickstein Pressel, Don Shane, Richard Zussman, Eli Zaret and Mitch Albom, as well as those (regardless of religious denomination) in the community who have made a difference in the lives of others, including Mike Ilitch, Tom Izzo, Steve Yzerman, Bo Schembechler, and Colleen and Gordy Howe.