At least six Jewish men and women are among the 24 recipients of the Presidential Citizens Medal.
Among the honorees at the White House Wednesday were Mike Feinberg and Dave Levin, the co-founders of the Knowledge Is Power Program network of college-preparatory public schools in underserved communities; Wendy Kopp, the founder of Teach for America; Dr. Mitchell Besser, who created an organization, mothers2mothers, to help reduce mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS in Africa; Samuel Heyman, whose Partnership for Public Service aims to inspire federal government workers; and Arnold Fisher, the creator of the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund providing financial assistance to families of service personnel killed in the war on terror.
The Presidential Citizens Medal was created to “recognize U.S. citizens who have performed exemplary deeds of service for the nation” and is “one of the highest honors the president can confer upon a civilian, second only to the Presidential Medal of Freedom,” according to a White House news release.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
