The 2nd annual ‘Jewish 100’ Gala occurred in New York City, honoring the top 100 people positively influencing Jewish life.
Knesset Speaker MK Yuli Edelstein, Donald Trump and the late Jewish comedian Joan Rivers were awarded the Algemeiner’s illustrious ‘Warrior for Truth’ for being among the 100 people who influenced the lives of Jews worldwide in 2014. Melissa Rivers accepted the award on her mother’s behalf.
Jewish community leaders and Jewish businessmen attended the event, as well as the Israeli Consul General in New York, Ido Aharoni, Ivanka Trump, criminal lawyer Ben Brafman and entrepreneur Jonah Engler.
The prestigious award from the Jewish paper Algemeiner was given to Knesset Speaker Edelstein, the host of the event, for his “struggle for the truth.” He has “influenced positively through his actions for the Jewish people in the world and in Israel.”
“Today unfortunately there is no concept of pure, ultimate truth,” said Edelstein while accepting the award. “The ‘truth’ of the claims by others on our land does not exist.”
Noting the historical connection of the Jewish people to Israel, Edelstein referenced the Biblical patriarchs saying “when I leave my home I walk on paths where Abraham, Isaac and Jacob walked. And that’s the truth regarding our rights to the land.”
“When (Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud) Abbas shouts at the UN about rights to the land – that’s a complete lie!” emphasized Edelstein. Switching to another topic, he added “whoever claims that an agreement with Iran is a good path to peace is lying, because the truth is that they are approaching nuclear weapons, and the world must act now before it’s too late.”
“I love Israel. I have a lot of friends in Israel and they really so much for us. They do some much for the world and they don’t get credit for it, but they should get credit for it,” said Donald Trump.
“In a climate of rapid globalization, and in light of recent escalations of anti-Israel and anti-Jewish sentiments and actions around the globe, we see the utmost importance of ensuring that there is a Jewish voice in the media with broad international impact articulating the accurate story,” Algemeiner editor in chief Dovid Efune said in a statement. “We are gathering to recognize the work of our staff and community towards achieving that goal.”
