Theater legend Joel Grey to be honored with fourth annual Teddy Kollek Award for the Advancement of Jewish Culture.
Edited by: JV Staff
World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder will honor former United States Ambassador to the United Nations, H.E. Nikki Haley, on November 6 with the WJC’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. Joel Grey, the legendary actor, singer, director, and photographer, will be presented with the WJC’s fourth Teddy Kollek Award for the Advancement of Jewish Culture.
Lauder said: “In my years of service in the diplomatic world and as president of the World Jewish Congress, I have met many heads of state, dignitaries, and ambassadors who have worked diligently in support of Israel and defended it across the international stage. Throughout her tenure, US Ambassador to the UN, H.E. Nikki Haley, proved to be a giant in this realm, exemplifying this country’s unwavering friendship for Israel and commitment to world Jewry, relentlessly calling out the biases and double standards that pervade in the United Nations and its bodies and demanding action. As Ambassador Haley proclaimed in her first days in the position, a new day has dawned indeed at the UN. Thanks to Ambassador Haley, and her allies, the international community is waking up.”
“I am also delighted to present the fourth Teddy Kollek Award to Joel Grey, one of the greatest Jewish entertainers of our time, who has embraced our collective heritage and culture in his work, propelling Yiddish theater and Jewish issues to the forefront of popular discussion. It is a privilege and an honor to welcome Mr. Grey to the family of distinguished laureates of this award,” Lauder said.
Previous recipients of the Theodor Herzl Award include the Rothschild family, former Secretary of State General Colin L. Powell, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden, former Israeli President Shimon Peres, Elie and Marion Wiesel, former secretaries of state Henry A. Kissinger and George P. Shultz, and, posthumously, Ronald Reagan and Axel Springer. Kirk Douglas was honored with the inaugural Teddy Kollek Award in 2016, followed by film director George Stevens in 2017, and philanthropist Robert Kraft in 2018.
On Monday, October 28th Lauder honored Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Angela Merkel with the 2019 WJC Theodor Herzl Award. The award ceremony was held at the Jewish community center in Munich, co-hosted by President of the Jewish Community of Munich and Upper Bavaria & WJC Commissioner for Holocaust Memory Dr. Charlotte Knobloch.
Thanking WJC President Lauder, Chancellor Merkel expressed her heartfelt gratitude for the honor of being chosen as the recipient of this award, saying: “It is humbling for me that I, as a German chancellor, can receive the Theodor Herzl Award today. Jewish life in Germany must be supported – and protected.”
Recalling the attack on the synagogue in Halle over Yom Kippur, a “heinous crime that fills us with utmost shame,” Chancellor Merkel said: “These are deeply troubling developments; they are directed at Jews in our country, but by no means only them. Because they attack us all: Jews and non-Jews alike, everything that our country stands on, our values and our freedoms. They hit at the core of our shared existence, because they flow from a deep hatred of democracy. We must never accept the fact that people in Germany have to live in fear because of their religious convictions. We must do everything in our power to make sure they can live their lives free and safe. Antisemitism and racism do not begin with violent acts; it is much subtler. We must make sure not to wake up only after words have become deeds.”
The Chancellor underscored the fact that hatred proliferates not just on the streets, but also online, a distinct catalyst to her government’s decision to pass a series of regulations later this week to ensure that incitement and aggressive hate speech are punished more severely.
“I regard this award that carries the name of Theodor Herzl as an obligation never to be content with what has been achieved but to continue striving toward a better future in unison with our partners,” Chancellor Merkel said. “I want to encourage all of you to continue working towards a diverse and secure Jewish life in Germany – just as I will continue to do myself.”
In presenting the award to the Chancellor, WJC President Lauder underscored the progress made in post-war Germany to rebuild itself and eradicate its dark past. “You, Chancellor Merkel, are the icon of this incredible success. You are the symbol of all that is good in post-war Germany,” WJC President Lauder said. “You are the guardian of democracy, the guardian of civilization and the guardian of Europe… you have always supported the Jewish community in this country. You have always stood by Israel … you are a German leader who has become a one-person dam. A dam against instability. A dam against irrationality. A dam against extremism. A dam against hate. A dam against racism. A dam against antisemitism.”
But amid this great progress, WJC President Lauder said, “the ancient hate against the Jews is rearing its ugly head again all over Europe,” at violent levels unprecedented since 1945 – a hatred that demonstrated itself just 19 days ago in Halle, with the deadly Yom Kippur attack. “The problem is not a Jewish problem,” WJC President Lauder said. “It is a German one.”
“We must stand united against antisemitism, racism, Islamophobia, xenophobia and homophobia. We must fight the haters of every people and of all people. And it’s up to all of us to take action, now,” WJC President Lauder said, laying out a number of steps that should be taken including police protection in all synagogues in school, increased and substantial penalties for anyone who commits an antisemitic attack, prohibition against hate speech of any kind against any group on the Internet, commitment by political parties to expel any member who engages in antisemitism, and the outlawing of all political parties that espouse a neo-Nazi ideology. “The German democracy must defend itself, defend its citizens, and defend its Jews from the dark forces now rising, on the extreme right and the extreme left,” WJC President Lauder said.
