President Moshe Katzav this week awarded the Jerusalem Prize for Jewish Leadership to five leaders from Israel and the Diaspora who have made "outstanding contributions to strengthening the Jewish people." The prize, awarded in the framework of the World Zionist Organization's Orthodox General Assembly convention in Jerusalem, was awarded in a ceremony at the President's Mansion, in which Knesset Members and other dignitaries participated.
The recipients of the award were:
* Rabbi Chaim Druckman, head of the Center for Bnei Akiva Yeshivot, for his work in familiarizing new immigrants with Judaism
* Rabbi Cyril Harris, Chief Rabbi of South Africa, for his contribution to Jewish religious life and Zionism in South Africa during years of crisis
* Rabbi Dr. Israel Singer, Chairman of the World Jewish Congress, for his contribution to the restoration of Jewish property lost in the Holocaust
* Rabbi Simcha Cohen, spiritual leader of Melbourne's Mizrachi congregation, for his contribution to Jewish life in Australia and the United States
* Mr. Lev Levayev, President of the Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS, for his contribution to the Jewish communities of the former Soviet Union.
The recipients of the award were:
* Rabbi Chaim Druckman, head of the Center for Bnei Akiva Yeshivot, for his work in familiarizing new immigrants with Judaism
* Rabbi Cyril Harris, Chief Rabbi of South Africa, for his contribution to Jewish religious life and Zionism in South Africa during years of crisis
* Rabbi Dr. Israel Singer, Chairman of the World Jewish Congress, for his contribution to the restoration of Jewish property lost in the Holocaust
* Rabbi Simcha Cohen, spiritual leader of Melbourne's Mizrachi congregation, for his contribution to Jewish life in Australia and the United States
* Mr. Lev Levayev, President of the Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS, for his contribution to the Jewish communities of the former Soviet Union.