NEW YORK, New York — The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), the oldest pro-Israel organization in the United States, awarded former President Donald Trump its Theodor Herzl Gold Medallion on Sunday evening.
The award, which has only been given a handful of times in the history of the organization, recognized Trump’s contributions to the safety and security of the State of Israel, as well as to the American Jewish community.
Former President Donald Trump greets the mayor of Efrat, Israel, Oded Revivi, at the annual dinner of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA). Trump received the rare Theodor Herzl Gold Medallion for his contributions to Israel and the Jewish people. (Joel Pollak / Breitbart News)
These include: moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem; forging the Abraham Accords between Israel and Arab states; recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights; withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal; ending U.S. funding that subsidized Palestinian terrorists; eliminating Iranian terrorist general Qasem Soleimani; becoming the first sitting president to visit the Western Wall; and protecting the civil rights of Jews against antisemitism on college campuses, among other unique achievements.
Morton Klein, the president of ZOA, noted in his remarks that Trump joined the few recipients of the award, including Lord Alfred Balfour, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, President Harry S. Truman, and Israeli Prime Ministers David Ben-Gurion and Golda Meir. He added, in describing Trump’s diplomatic succsses with the Abraham Accords: “Mr. President, you deserved, unquestionably, the Nobel Peace Prize.”
Morton Klein, president of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), speaks at the organization’s annual dinner, November 13, 2022. Trump received the rare Theodor Herzl award for his contributions to Israel and the Jewish people. (Joel Pollak / Breitbart News)
President Trump acknowledged the award by hailing the partnership between the United States and Israel in defending liberty, sovereignty, and Biblical traditions, expressing the hope that they “stand strong, and proud, and free.” He hinted at the forthcoming announcement of his next presidential campaign on November 15.
Trump noted — as he has before — that some Jewish Americans, the vast majority of whom vote Democratic, did not seem to vote to support pro-Israel policies and political leaders, and pledged to increase the Republican share of the Jewish vote in future elections.
The occasion marked the first on which a non-partisan Jewish organization honored President Trump for his work on behalf of Israel and the Jewish people. Other honorees included Trump’s former envoy to the Middle East, Ambassador Jason Greenblatt, and guests included representatives of Israel’s incoming government.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. His recent book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.