At the Fourth Annual Marty Awards on May 9, 2026. Greater Kansas City AZA #2 proudly inducted the second class of inductees into the Mnookin Memorial AZA #2 Hall of Fame.
The 2026 honorees are:
Established in 2025, the Hall of Fame is named in memory of Kansas City chemist Nathan Mnookin, one of the founders of the AZA movement and the first adviser to BBYO’s first two chapters.
Nathan Mnookin was the first advisor and one of the founders of Aleph Zadik Aleph (AZA), and a beloved mentor whose guidance shaped generations of Jewish youth. Born in Russia and raised in Kansas City after immigrating in 1906, Mnookin graduated from the Kanas University School of Engineering and Chemistry in 1922. After graduation, he moved to Omaha to work for Cudahy Packing Company. That same year, 15 boys organized themselves into a group they called Aleph Zadik Aleph, and Mnookin agreed to serve as their advisor. He played a vital role in developing the organization’s identity, including the name “Aleph Zadik Aleph.”
Philip Klutznick was many things in his life: a visionary builder, a diplomat, a philanthropist, and a civic leader. Klutznick took on his first leadership role in Aleph Zadik Aleph (AZA), when he helped charter the second AZA chapter, Greater Kansas City, in 1924. The following year, as the organization expanded, he was elected to be the second Grand Aleph Godol. Klutznick served under seven U.S. Presidents. His three-month term as a United Nations delegate eventually led him to the rank of Ambassador on the UN Economic and Social Council in 1960. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter selected Klutnick to serve as the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, in part for his role in the Arab-Israeli peace talks.
William Horowitz is a distinguished figure in the history of the Aleph Zadik Aleph, having made a lasting impact as the organization’s first-ever Grand Aleph S’gan. Horowitz was the first Godol of Kanas City AZA #2. He was initiated into AZA #2 on September 1, 1923. He was elected as the first ever Grand Aleph S’gan at the AZA National Convention, after losing in a runoff to Charles Shane for the Grand Aleph Godol election. In March 1924, he was elected president of The Y.M.H.A. Council of Clubs. In March 1925, Horowitz and Philip Klutznick won the first ever AZA debate tournament in Omaha., Neb. The team won a unanimous decision over the Council Bluffs team, consisting of Joe Krasne and Abe Katelman, in the finals. The question for the debate was: “Resolved, That Religious Instruction Be Given in Public Schools.”
Lewis Sutin, a distinguished judge from Albuquerque, New Mexico, hails originally from Kansas City, Missouri. During his high school years, he captained the Central High School debate team, leading them to victory as city champions. His early involvement in Jewish youth organizations was equally notable; he was a charter member of Kansas City AZA #2, initiated on September 1, 1923. Sutin served as Aleph S’gan in 1924, in addition to serving as Mazkir (secretary) and sergeant-at-arms. He was a key member of the chapter’s debate team. Notably, he was the starting center for the Kansas City AZA #2 basketball team, which secured the first AZAA basketball championship in March 1925, winning the Malashock Cup with teammate Sid Magazine, Philip Copland, Julius Peltzman, Harry Kaufman, and Is Pesman.
Abraham E. Margolin, the first of four children, became active at an early age in the community. At the age of 17, he became a founding member of the AZA chapter of B’nai B’rith Youth Organization in Kansas City – Kansas City AZA #2. Abe was joined by Philip M. Klutznick, who became chapter president and went on to national Jewish prominence as president of the International B’nai B’rith and the World Jewish Congress. This was the start and Abe never looked back in terms of the organizational work he would do over the coming decades. He was initiated into AZA #2 on September 1, 1923. The next day, Margolin was elected as the chapter’s first Aleph S’gan (vice president). He was a key member of the chapter’s debate team.
When AZA announced plans for the first ever national basketball and debate tournament in 1925, the legendary Phil Klutznick and Kansas City AZA #2 boasted to Sam Beber that they would win in both events. Two’s carried out on their promise, bringing back to Kansas City the Malashock Cup for basketball and the Simon Memorial Cup for debate. AZA established the first basketball and debate tournament in 1925 after realizing the need for “constant and interesting activity.” The tournament was held on March 21-22, 1925, in Omaha, Neb. BBYO was still in its infancy but growing quickly. At the first tournament, eight chapters were in attendance. “By the time the tournament was held, we had real competition,” says Klutznick.
Arnold Caviar is a Kansas City-based businessman and philanthropist best known as the longtime owner and CEO of Liberty Fruit Company, a family-founded wholesale produce business established in 1965. The son of founders Issie and Mary Caviar, Arnold joined the company full-time in 1971 after working as a teacher and basketball coach. In 1982, he and his wife, Carol, purchased the business. Under his leadership, Liberty Fruit expanded into a major regional distributor serving grocery, wholesale, and foodservice customers across the Midwest. Caviar is widely recognized for his philanthropic leadership, supporting numerous Kansas City charities and community organizations. He also served as president of Kehilath Israel Synagogue. He joined AZA #2 in 1957.
Dr. Henry Brown was a charter member of AZA #2 and a pioneering chemist whose innovations helped shape modern industrial plating. Brown earned a Rockefeller Teaching Fellowship to the University of Michigan, where he received his Ph.D. in physical chemistry in 1933 while serving as an assistant professor. That same year, he joined Udylite Chemical Corp. in Detroit, launching a distinguished career that led to hundreds of patents in the United States and abroad. His work in chrome and bright nickel plating became standard across major automobile manufacturers in the United States and Europe.His work in chrome and bright nickel plating became standard across major automobile manufacturers in the United States and Europe. During World War II, Dr. Brown contributed to the Manhattan Project at Columbia University.
Jacob “Jack” Brown was a former AZA #2 president and served as Grand Aleph Mazkir in 1929. A distinguished attorney and civic leader, Brown played a central role in shaping the Kansas City Jewish community. Born in New York City in 1910, Brown moved with his family to Kansas City, where he attended Karnes School and Manual High School. He went on to found the prominent law firm Brown & Koralchik. Brown was a leader in the Zionist movement locally and helped found both the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City and the Jewish Community Foundation. He served on numerous civic and communal boards, including Congregation Beth Shalom, and was president of Oakwood Country Club. In 1927, Brown and Joseph Rosenzweig of AZA #2 lost in the finals of the National Debate Contest to the Mother Chapter #1; in 1929, he won the District Oratory Contest.