Ophira Navon and Jihan Sadat Receive Awards for Work in the Field of Rehabilitation

Ophira Navon, wife of President Yitzhak Navon of Israel, received here last night the Distinguished Service Award in International Rehabilitation from the World Rehabilitation Fund at a gala dinner at the Hilton Hotel. Jihan Sadat, wife of President Anwar Sadat of Egypt was also honored at the dinner where she received the Fund’s first Achievement Award.

This afternoon, Mrs. Navon attended a luncheon given in her honor by Mrs. Sadat. The luncheon was held at the home of Egypt’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Ahmed Esmat Meguid. Among the 30 guests were Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Yehuda Blum, and his wife Moria.

Mrs. Navon told the audience attending last night’s dinner that there must be no barriers to the exchange of new techniques in rehabilitation. She said: “Communication between rehabilitation experts the world over must be immediate, instantaneous. In this respect there should be no frontiers, neither between the East and the West nor, and we are witness that this is now happily so, between Egypt and Israel. Cooperation must be immediate and wholehearted, for we all know that the basic elements in rehabilitation are universal, cutting across seas and continents, creeds and nationalities.”

Mrs. Navon, who arrived here Tuesday, met today with Mayor Edward Koch for some 90 minutes. According to a spokesman for the Israel Consulate here, the Mayor and Israel’s First lady discussed various issues, among them Koch’s recent visit to Egypt and Israel. Also present at the meeting were Israel’s Consul General in New York, Yosef Kedar, and his wife Ruth, and Rivka Evron, wife of Israel’s Ambassador to Washington. Mrs. Navon was scheduled to leave tonight for Israel.