(JTA) — Moshe Kantor, the president of the European Jewish Congress, was awarded France’s highest honor.
Kantor on Tuesday was presented with the National Order of the Legion of Honor, which is awarded by the French president.
The award is the highest level of the Legion of Honor, which was established by Napoleon Bonaparte. Among the past recipients are the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, and U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Kantor received the award, presented by Ambassador Philippe Etienne, permanent representative of the French Republic to the European Union, for his efforts on behalf of the rights of minorities, promoting interfaith relations, leading the fight against racism and anti-Semitism, and pushing for a more tolerant Europe in his roles at the European Jewish Congress, the democratically elected umbrella organization representing European Jewry.
"I am humbled by this honor,” Kantor said. “For many years I have tried to press European leaders to establish new and tougher laws against racism and anti-Semitism, and this award is recognition of my efforts to implement a new thinking towards prejudice on the European continent through the concept of secured tolerance.”
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