Netanyahu honored by Russian Jewish Congress for MidEast peace commitment

Other recipients included head of the Kommunarka infectious diseases hospital Denis Protsenko, and one of the founders of the social art movement Alexander Melamid.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Viktor Vekselberg, member of the Russian Jewish Congress executive committee, awards Netanyahu prize on behalf of Russian Jewry (photo credit: RUSSIAN JEWISH CONGRESS)
Viktor Vekselberg, member of the Russian Jewish Congress executive committee, awards Netanyahu prize on behalf of Russian Jewry
(photo credit: RUSSIAN JEWISH CONGRESS)
The Russian Jewish Congress (RJC) honored Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with its Global Influence Award, which is awarded to individuals "whose work made a significant impact on the world."
Other recipients included head of the Kommunarka infectious diseases hospital Denis Protsenko and one of the founders of the social art movement Alexander Melamid.
RJC executive committee member Viktor Velkseberg personally awarded Netanyahu the honor and noted his "invaluable contribution to upholding peace and security."
The RJC based its decision off Netanyahu's efforts throughout his tenure to bring peace to the Middle East, and importantly Israel. With the most recent normalization deals signed and in the works between Arab nations such as the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and the possibility of more in the coming years, the RJC decided to award the honor to Netanyahu at this time.
"The decision to bestow this award on the prime minister of Israel is a testament to your unequivocal and unwavering support for the State of Israel, support that is much appreciated by the people of Israel and by me personally," Netanyahu said in his acceptance speech. "I appreciate your tireless efforts to strengthen Russian Jewry, to bolster Jewish education, Jewish heritage, Jewish identity, to enhance Jewish communal cultural and spiritual life, to fight anti-Semitism, to ensure Holocaust remembrance."
"I’m grateful for the respect and support President Putin gives to Russia’s Jewish community. Under his leadership, relations between Israel and Russia have been growing stronger," he added.
Previous recipients of the award have included the likes of President of the World Jewish Congress Ronald Lauder, Mayor of Jerusalem Moshe Lion and music artist Andrey Makarevich. The award is given to recipients during the RJC's annual reception, which is its largest charity event of the year - funds go towards delivering food to the elderly, providing PPE to frontline medical workers and bolstering its longstanding programs.
"We did our very best to make sure this virtual event feels as much in-person as possible. To do that, we kept pretty much all the attributes typical of our offline events," said RJC President Yury Kanner. "Every year, we gather hundreds of people in order to help them do more acts of kindness. A tiny virus, which has had such a profound impact on our lives, cannot stop us from keeping our traditions this year, despite its many challenges. United, we can beat the virus – we won’t let it change our life or eliminate our need to help others. We hope to do that with your help and participation."