William K. Peirez of Great Neck was reelected chief justice of the B’nai B’rith Court of Appeals, which oversees internal disputes, by the Board of Governors at its annual meeting.
Peirez, who joined B’nai B’rith International 52 years ago, had served as acting chief justice since April 2008 and was elected to his first term in December 2009. Prior to that, he was a judge under the two most recent presidents.
Peirez also serves as president of the B’nai B’rith MetroNorth region and has been a longtime member of the Board of Governors and the Executive Board of Directors. During more than five decades of service, Peirez has held a wide range of positions at B’nai B’rith, including chairing the Evaluation and Monitoring Committee and the B’nai B’rith Camps Committee. He’s been B’nai B’rith’s liaison to a committee of regional and community leaders and has served as an international vice president.
In 1980, Peirez won the prestigious Label A. Katz Outstanding Young Leader Award, which is given to individuals younger than 45 who have demonstrated outstanding service to the totality of B’nai B’rith and have worked to achieve the goals of the B’nai B’rith Young Leadership program. Coming full circle, Peirez served on a committee to help choose the 2009 Label A. Katz winners.
A graduate of Boston University and Brooklyn Law School, Peirez is a retired attorney who specialized in real estate, landlord and tenant law, contracts, corporate law, partnership law, buying and selling of businesses and wills.
Peirez also served as a member of the New York Society for the Deaf and the Good Samaritan Foundation board of directors. He has been active in Temple Beth-El in Great Neck, in which he is currently honorary vice president. Peirez was president of the Allenwood Little League and chairman of the Great Neck School Board Prejudice Reduction Committee. He has been married since 1966 and has three children and five grandchildren.
Since 1843, B’nai B’rith International has advocated for global Jewry and championed the cause of human rights. B’nai B’rith is recognized as a vital voice in promoting Jewish unity and continuity, a staunch defender of the State of Israel, a tireless advocate on behalf of senior citizens and a leader in disaster relief. For more information, visit www.bnaibrith.org.
