Vice President Joe Biden will be honored by the World
Jewish Congress with an award named for the founder of
political Zionism.
On Wednesday, Biden will receive the organization’s
annual Theodor Herzl Award, “which recognizes outstanding
individuals who work to promote Herzl’s ideals for a safer,
more tolerant world for the Jewish people,” WJC said in a
statement.
The award will be presented at New York’s Pierre Hotel by
former secretary of state Henry Kissinger and WJC President
Ronald Lauder. Kissinger will introduce Biden.
At the same event, actor Kirk Douglas will be recognized
with the inaugural Teddy Kollek Award for the Advancement of
Jewish Culture. Actor-director Michael Douglas will accept
the award on behalf of his father.
Actor Kirk Douglas, attending the
Anti-Defamation League’s Centennial Entertainment Industry
Award Dinner
at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on May 8, 2013, in Beverly
Hills, California. (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images/JTA)
Lauder praised Biden in a statement.
“Over the course of his more than four decades in service
to this country, Vice President Biden has proven that he is
a true friend of Israel and the Jewish people, a leader in
the fight against anti-Semitism, and a champion of human and
civil rights for all,” Lauder said.
“He has stood out over the last eight years in his
devotion to ensuring that America and Israel remain close
allies. When he leaves the White House in just a few months,
I am confident that his commitment to both Israel and the
Jewish community will remain as strong as ever.”
Henry Kissinger is among previous recipients of the
award. Others include the late Israeli president Shimon
Peres; Elie and Marion Wiesel; another former secretary of
state, George Shultz, and, posthumously, Ronald Reagan.
