By Lauren Shank
(NOVEMBER 3, 2022 / CNS NEWS) – The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), the leading major American Jewish organization defending Israel and the Jewish people, will award former President Donald J. Trump the Theodor Herzl Gold Medallion for his “unprecedented accomplishments on behalf of Israel and the Jewish-American community” at its Nov. 13 Superstar Gala in New York City.
“ZOA rarely awards the Theodor Herzl Gold Medallion,” ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said in a press release. “It has been presented only to other renowned world leaders and dignitaries like Lord Balfour, Winston Churchill, Harry Truman, David Ben-Gurion, Golda Meir, Menachem Begin, and Sheldon G. Adelson.”
“As a champion of Israel and the Jewish people, President Trump is certainly worthy of being in that company,” said Klein.
Trump’s achievement of forging the Abraham Accords, which established peace between Israel and Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Sudan, would merit the honor alone, ZOA Board Chairman David Schoen said.
“But President Trump has achieved so much more,” Schoen continued. “Adhering to American law previously ignored by presidents of both political parties, he relocated the U.S. Embassy to Israel’s eternal capital, Jerusalem.”
Schoen recalled more of Trump’s notable accomplishments: He strengthened legal protections for Jewish students on college campuses; he recognized Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights and withdrew from the “dangerous” Iran deal; he signed the Taylor Force Act, and withdrew from the UN’s Human Rights Council.
“Simply put, President Trump is the best friend Israel ever had in the White House,” Klein added. “Given that ZOA is a bold, unapologetic voice fighting for the safety and security of Jews and Israel, combatting antisemitism, and embracing the truth, we are proud to be honoring and thanking the 45th President of the United States.”
Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.), former Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt, philanthropist Joseph Lubeck, Iranian Muslim Zionist activist Ali Meli, and founder and CEO of the Israel Defense Security Forum, Brigadier General (Res.) Amir Avivi, are other notable figures that will be recognized at the gala.
Founded in 1897, the ZOA took played a crucial role in establishing the Jewish State, serving to fight all forms of antisemitism while also promoting the lawful right for Jewish people to settle and live in historic Jewish lands. Celebrating its 125th anniversary, ZOA’s Superstar Gala is on Nov. 13 at Pier Sixty in New York City.
This article was originally published by CNS News and can be viewed here.