By The Friedlander Group

History was made in the US Senate when it unanimously passed a bill to honor former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat with the Congressional Gold Medal.

S.266 is a bill, co-sponsored by 71 Senators, is a bipartisan legislation that was introduced by Senator Orrin Hatch and Senator Ben Cardin as a way of reminding the world of Sadat’s bold and courageous approach of achieving peace with the State of Israel in 1979.
L-R: H.E. Yasser Reda – Ambassador of Egypt to U.S., Isaac Dabah, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, Ezra Friedlander, Sol Goldner, Jack Avital, Leon Goldenberg, Stanley Treitel

The Congressional Gold Medal, is legislation that must be cosponsored by at least two-thirds (290) of the Members of the House of Representatives and (67) of the Senate before it can be brought to the floor for a vote, and is the highest award that can bestowed by the United States government.

The late President Sadat, the first Arab leader to visit Israel and address the Knesset and launch a peace initiative that culminated in Egypt being the first Arab state to officially recognize Israel, is widely acknowledged as a visionary who in partnership with the United States and the late Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, negotiated a peace treaty. Thereby, he is forever regarded as a champion of peace and a pioneer of diplomacy.

L-R: Joseph B. Stamm, Rabbi Elie Abadie, Ivette Dabah, H.E. Yasser Reda – Ambassador of Egypt to U.S., Isaac Dabah, Ezra Friedlander, Sol Goldner, Jack Avital

The Sadat Gold Medal Commission launched the effort to award the late President Sadat with the Congressional Gold Medal as a result of a collaborative initiative by prominent American Jewish leaders spearheaded by Ezra Friedlander, CEO of The Friedlander Group, and Shafik Gabr, founder of the Shafik Gabr Foundation whose mission of enhancing critical understanding and cooperation amongst young emerging leaders in the Arab World and the West through global exchanges has earned him the respect of leading American government officials and international leaders across the spectrum.

L-R: U.S. Senate president Pro Tempore Orrin Hatch, Ezra Friedlander

“Advocating for this Bill to become law allowed me to remind the Congress of the United States that great statesmen do exist and that honoring Sadat meets the criteria for a Congressional Gold Medal whereby the Camp David Accords and the Peace Treaty between Egypt and Israel continue to serve the national security interests of the United States by preserving peace and serving as a foundation for partnership and dialogue in a region fraught with conflict and division” a sentiment expressed by the Board of the Sadat Commission comprised by Jack Avital, Isaac Dabah, Andrew Friedman, Leon Goldenberg, Sol Goldner, Gil Kapen, Joseph B. Stamm, Stanley Treitel, H. Russell Taub.

L-R: Gamal A. El Sadat, Gigi Gabr, Shafik Gabr, Mrs. Jehan Sadat, Ezra Friedlander, Isaac Dabah

In 1981, Anwar Sadat was assassinated for making peace with Israel. In his statement, then President Reagan encapsulated his high regard for Sadat: “There are times, there are moments in history, when the martyrdom of a single life can symbolize all that’s wrong with an age and all that is right about humanity. The noble remnants of such lives…can gain the force and power that endures and inspires and wins the ultimate triumph over the forces of violence, madness, and hatred.”

“As an Egyptian who understands the importance of a strong Egyptian-American relationship that serves both countries’ national security, I would like to thank Senators Hatch and Cardin for introducing and ensuring the passage of this truly historical legislation. The late President Sadat was a man ahead of his time. He was not only a voice for peace, but also a person whose courage, conviction and dedication to achieve peace regardless of any obstacles was immense. He had the wisdom to bring nations and peoples together, and he was a man of sincere belief of what peace can bring. It is my hope that other leaders around the globe would understand the importance of peace and what it brings to their people, their region and the world. As we mark the 40th anniversary of signing the Camp David Accords and celebrate the centennial of Anwar Sadat’s birth, I am appreciative of the US Senate for bestowing upon him this great honor,” said Shafik Gabr, who serves as International Chairman of the Sadat Gold Medal Commission.

For more information, please contact Ezra Friedlander at [email protected] or (212) 233-5555 x 101