President Carter asserted that on the occasion of Israel’s forthcoming 30th anniversary, he joins “in fervent prayer that the combined effort of all those who seek a just and lasting resolution to the conflict in the war torn Middle East will be rewarded and that Israel will begin a new decade in an atmosphere of peace, tranquility and goodwill.”
Carter made this statement in a message addressed to the 70th annual Award Dinner of Bnai Zion, the oldest American Zionist fraternal organization, which was held Sunday night in the New York Hilton Hotel with an audience of some 1500 persons.
The dinner, which also marked the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the State of Israel, was dedicated in tribute to Elie Wiesel, noted author, recipient of the 1978 Bnai Zion America-Israel Friendship Medal in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the efforts for strengthening the bonds of friendship between the peoples of the State of Israel and the United States.
The presentation of the medal was made by Rabbi William Berkowitz, president of Bnai Zion, who, in his address emphasized Wiesel’s role as the “eloquent spokesman for the silent millions unable to give utterance to the Holocaust.” In a message from Jerusalem, President Ephraim Katzir declared Wiesel as “the forceful spokesman of our people’s agony in the period of the Holocaust.”
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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.
