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Black Tie International:
President Nicolas Sarkozy Honors Rabbi Arthur Schneier
with The Legion of Honor Award
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Francois
Delattre, (left) French Ambassador to the United States,
and Archbishop Timothy Dolan,(center) congratulate Rabbi
Arthur Schneier, (right) founder and President of the
Appeal of Conscience Foundation and Senior Rabbi of the
Park East Synagogue, before he receives the Officer of
the Legion of Honor, the most prestigious award given by
the French government. The award recognizes Rabbi
Schneier's role as a spiritual leader and an advocate
for religious freedom and human rights.
(Appeal of Conscience Foundation, Diane Bondareff)
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President, Nicolas
Sarkozy
Honors
Rabbi Arthur Schneier
with
The Legion of Honor
*** The most
prestigious award given by
the French government*****
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Rabbi Arthur Schneier, received the
insigna of Officer of the Legion of Honor on behalf
of theFrench President, Nicolas
Sarkozy, in a ceremony
held at the French Consulate in New York
City and presided over by His Excellency François Delattre,
the French Ambassador to the United States.
The
Legion of Honor is the most prestigious award given by
the French government. It was established in 1802 by
Napoleon Bonaparte, in recognition for distinguished merit
or outstanding service to France. The award while typically
bestowed on French nationals is given less frequently to
foreigners, usually in recognition of their service to
France or other outstanding acts.
"I am glad and honored to have the
opportunity to give you this testimony of friendship on
behalf of France,” said French Ambassador to the United
states, François Delattre. “It is my
pleasure, on behalf of President Sarkozy, to present to you
with the Légion d’Honneur in recognition of your tireless
efforts to promote and support religious freedom, human
rights and interfaith tolerance all over the world".
“During
the Holocaust, I experienced firsthand the consequences of
hatred and conflict and have devoted a lifetime to awaken
man’s humanity to man, and to advocate my credo, ‘Live and
let live’,” said Rabbi Arthur Schneier, Senior Rabbi of The
Park East Synagogue and President and Founder of the Appeal
of Conscience Foundation. “The high honor bestowed upon me
by the President of the Republic of France, Nicolas Sarkozy,
encourages me to continue to build bridges in dialogue
between civilizations, cultures and religious communities,
and further international cooperation.”
The award
underscores Rabbi Arthur Schneier’s role not only as a
spiritual leader and a human rights advocate but as an
“unofficial ambassador” to leaders across the world who have
sought to promote religious freedom, human rights and
brotherhood between all mankind. Rabbi Arthur Schneier, is
the founder and President of the Appeal of Conscience
Foundation, and since 1962, the senior Rabbi of the Park
East Synagogue.
In
February of 2011, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton lauded
the Rabbi when he was honored by the Foreign Service
Institute, “for his commitment and partnership for over 30
years in helping foreign affairs professionals better
understand the complex issues surrounding religious life and
the right to religious freedom in the countries in which
they serve.”
Among
those in attendance; The Most Reverend Timothy Dolan,
Archbishop of New York. The Most Reverend Khajag Barsamian,
Archbishop of the Armenian Diocese of America. Reverend Dr.
Fred Anderson, Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church.
Commissioner Raymond Kelly, NYPD. Ambassador Rosemary
DiCarlo, Deputy Chief of Mission, US Mission to the United
Nations and the Hon. Ido Aharoni, Consul General of Israel
in New York.
In
addition to this honor from the French Government the
“Rabbi-Ambassador” has received numerous high honors from
world leaders and their governments:
·
2001-
Presidential Citizens Medal: Cited by President
Clinton as “a Holocaust survivor who has devoted a lifetime
to overcoming forces of hatred and intolerance and set an
inspiring example of spiritual leadership by encouraging
interfaith dialogue and intercultural understanding and
promoting the cause of religious freedom around the world.”
·
2003-Order
of Merit of the Republic of Hungary:
On behalf of the Hungarian Government, cited as a “Holocaust
survivor who has devoted his life to safeguarding human
rights, freedom and democracy and for contributing much to
strengthening ties between Hungary and the United States.
·
2009-The
Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity:
On behalf of the Italian
Government for “His humanitarian outreach, his efforts to
better relations between the United States and Italy and for
his leadership as a bridge builder between cultures and
religious communities around the world.
·
2009-Knight Commander of the Order of Civil Merit:
Knighted by King Juan
Carlos I of Spain for “His outstanding work in promoting the
objectives of peace and tolerance between peoples of
different cultures and beliefs that inspire the Alliance of
Civilizations.”
·
2010-Officer's Cross of the Order of the Merit of the
Federal Republic of Germany:
On behalf of
President Christian Wulff – Cited for: “His commitment and
dedication devoted to tolerance, justice and humanity.”
·
2010-Commander’s
Cross with the Star of the Order of the Republic of Hungary:
On behalf of President László Sólyom and Prime
Minister Gordon Bajnai – Cited for “His efforts to promote
and support religious freedom, human rights and tolerance
and his contribution to the strengthening of ties between
Hungary and the United States.”
·
2010- High
Decoration of the Russian Foreign Ministry
on behalf of H.E. Sergey V. Lavrov, Minister of Foreign
Affairs, the Russian Federation – Cited for “His continued
commitment to strengthen Russian-American relations and help
further advance the improved climate of cooperation.”
Since founding
the Appeal of Conscience Foundation in 1965, Rabbi Arthur
Schneier has successfully worked on behalf of religious
freedom and human rights throughout the world. This
interfaith coalition of business and religious leaders
promotes peace, tolerance and ethnic conflict resolution.
The Foundation believes that freedom, democracy and human
rights are the fundamental values that give nations of the
world their best hope for peace, security and shared
prosperity.
Appeal of
Conscience delegations have met with religious and
government leaders in Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Bulgaria,
People's Republic of China, the Commonwealth of Independent
States (CIS), Cuba, Czech Republic, El Salvador, Germany,
Holy See, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan,
Morocco, Panama, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovak Republic,
Switzerland, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom and the
former Yugoslavia. The Foundation also hosts delegations
from abroad to acquaint them with the diversity of American
religious life and its contribution to a civil society.
Rabbi Arthur
Schneier has served as U.S. Alternate Representative to the
U.N. General Assembly and Chairman of the U.S. Commission
for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad. In 1998,
he was one of three American religious leaders appointed by
President Clinton to start the first dialogue on religious
freedom with President Jiang Zemin and other top Chinese
leaders. In 2001, Rabbi Schneier initiated the Resolution
for the Protection of Religious Sites, adopted by the U.N.
General Assembly. In 2004 he served as a member of the U.S.
delegation to the Stockholm International Forum for the
Prevention of Genocide. In 2005,
he was appointed to the High-Level Group, Alliance of
Civilizations, by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, a
distinguished group whose goal is to bridge divisions
between societies exploited by extremists and among
societies in which prejudices, misconceptions and
polarizations threaten international stability and peaceful
relations. In 2008, UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon,
appointed Rabbi Arthur Schneier Ambassador to the Alliance
of Civilizations.
Ordained by
Yeshiva University he is the recipient of eleven honorary
doctorates. Born in Vienna, Austria, March 20, 1930, Rabbi
Schneier lived under Nazi occupation in Budapest during
World War II and arrived in the United States in 1947.
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