In the Queen’s birthday honors list Leonard Klein is cited “for services to the Jewish community.” This is a very rare citation because the numerous Jews honored over the years have made their contribution as citizens, not as Jews. Klein, of Sydney, Australia received an Order of the British Empire (OBE).
The honors list also includes Pierre Gildesgame, president of the British Maccabi Association, chairman of the World Maccabi Union and chairman of the Maccabiah Committee. Gildesgame received a (CBE) Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
Gildesgame, who is also chairman of the Friends of the Israel Museums in this country, is one of the few British subjects in the long honors list not born in this country. He was born in Rumania in 1903 and came to this country before World War II.
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.