More than 1,500 theatrical, diplomatic and cultural-leaders paid $150 a plate raising $250,000 for the program of the America-Israel Cultural Foundation at a dinner held here tonight to honor the American Jewish impresario Sol Hurok.
Samuel Rubin, president of the Foundation, presented Mr. Hurok with a bronze plaque extolling him for his contributions in the field of cultural exchange. Abe Stark, president of the New York City Council, presented Mr. Hurok with the medal of the City of New York. Ambassador Michael Comay, Israel Permanent Representative to the United Nations, was among the speakers paying personal tribute to the impresario.
Mr. Rubin lauded Mr. Hurok’s vision and foresight in utilizing cultural exchange “to break through barriers of prejudice, discrimination and misunderstanding.” Artists who performed in the musical tribute to Mr. Hurok included Artur Rubinstein, Isaac Stern, Andres Segovia, Robert Merrill, Jan Peerce, Roberta Peters, Regina Resnick and William Steinberg conducting the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
The Foundation has a 1961 budget of $1,510, 000 for the support of 40 cultural institutions in Israel, including orchestras, theaters and museums, cultural exchange programs in this country, scholarships for talented young Israeli artists, a Middle East Fellowship program for study in Israel by young Afro-Asians and a building program in Israel for cultural institutions.
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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.