Miss Universe 2002, Justine Pasek, will be attending the National Conference for Community and Justice annual dinner of the Jewelry and Watch Industry Division of the NCCJ. The dinner is set for December 2 at the Pierre Hotel in New York.

Pasek, formerly Miss Panama, is attending in honor of Koichi Takahashi, COO of Mikimoto (America) Co. Ltd., who is this year’s NCCJ honoree. As the official jeweler of the Miss Universe Organization, Mikimoto designs, executes, and supplies the crowns for the Miss Universe, Miss USA, and Miss Teen USA competitions.

Speaking from Tokyo, Takahashi stated, “I am delighted she will be attending and hope this will raise the NCCJ dinner to a new level. Justine’s involvement in world causes can only help the NCCJ.”

The NCCJ was founded in 1927 as the National Conference of Christians and Jews, and is a human relations organization dedicated to fighting bias, bigotry, and racism in America. NCCJ promotes understanding and respect among all races, religions, and cultures through advocacy, conflict resolution, and education.

Tickets for the Dec. 2 dinner are $425, of which $255 is tax-deductible as a contribution. Cocktails are at 5:30 and dinner begins at 6:45. For more information and to purchase tickets, contact NCCJ, 70 W. 36 St., Suite 1004, New York, NY 10018; (212) 967-3111, ext. 40.

JCK