Prof. Franz Boehm, who headed the West German team to the Hague negotiations which concluded with the signing of the German-Israel reparations pact at Luxembourg, was named today one of four winners of the Stephen Wise Award for 1954. The American Jewish Congress, which makes the awards, announced that Elmer Davis, noted author and news analyst, Louis Lipsky, veteran Zionist, and Yale University would be the other recipients.
The awards, bearing a cash value of $1,000 each, are made annually for outstanding service in four major areas to which the late Dr. Stephen S. Wise devoted his life. The awards will be presented formally later this year.
Prof. Boehm was honored for his contribution to general Jewish welfare; Mr. Lipsky for his role in building Israel through a half century of leadership in the Zionist movement; Yale University for the publication of its Judaica Series, translations of classic works of Jewish thought, and Mr. Davis for his defense of civil liberties.
In paying tribute to Prof. Boehm, the Awards Committee declared: “Franz Boehm has become one of the foremost symbols of the kind of democracy we hope will emerge out of present-day Germany. He played a decisive role in the negotiation of Jewish material claims against Germany. He has been untiring in his efforts to combat anti-Semitism. And he has revealed courage and moral qualities of the highest order in his attempt to make his fellow-Germans aware of their obligations to the Jewish people.”
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
