Morris J. Allen, one of the country's most prominent rabbis, is set to be honored by Beth Jacob Congregation for his 25 years as the synagogue's spiritual leader.

Named to the Forward 50 and recognized by Newsweek as one of the "50 most significant rabbis in America," Allen has served as the St. Paul synagogue's first spiritual leader since 1986.

During that time the congregation has received 10 United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism Solomon Schechter Awards and has been the focus of national studies by the Avi Chai Foundation, Synagogue 2000 and the Ratner Center for the Study of Conservative Judaism.

Allen is project director of Magen Tzedek, an initiative to ensure kosher food is produced in accordance with ethical standards of Judaism. He serves on the Rabbinical Assembly's Commission on Human Sexuality, Task Force on Strategic Planning, and Executive Council.

He also serves as an on-call chaplain for the Minnesota Department of Corrections, visiting with Jewish inmates around the state.

Allen is scheduled to be honored on Feb. 11: The day will begin with Shabbat morning services and continue with Kiddush luncheon. Delivering the d'var Torah as the guest speaker during Shabbat services will be Rabbi B. Elka Abrahamson, president of the Wexner Foundation and a native of St. Paul.

After Shabbat, a dinner and program will celebrate the leadership of Allen and his wife Phyllis Gorin. The program will feature guest speaker Samuel Freedman, a columnist for the New York Times and author of six books, including "Jew Versus Jew," which was awarded a National Jewish Book Award.

To attend the dinner and program, make a reservation at www.beth-jacob.org by Feb. 6.