Thomas L. Friedman
to receive the Dr. Bernard Heller Prize
from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion
in recognition of his betterment of humanity

Who: Thomas L. Friedman, Pulitzer Prize-winning foreign affairs columnist for the New York Times.

What: The Dr. Bernard Heller Prize is an international award presented annually to an individual or organization whose work, writings, or research reflects the values and commitment to the betterment of humanity. Initiated in 1990, previous recipients of the $10,000 award include Professors Dr. Jacob Rader Marcus and Dr. Harry M. Orlinsky; Bernard Marks (captain of the ship Exodus); Holocaust historians Serge Klarsfeld and Raul Hilberg; Ambassadors Uri Lubrani of Israel (the architect of the airlift rescue of Ethiopian Jewry), Dennis B. Ross, Richard C. Holbrooke, and Stuart E. Eizenstat; Camelia Anwar Sadat; Count Folke Bernadotte, posthumously; and The Jewish Museum in Prague.

Why: For his accurate coverage of the cataclysmic events in the Middle East through his three-time (1983, 1988, and 2002) Pulitzer Prize-winning international reporting and commentary as a correspondent for the New York Times and his National Book Award-winning book, From Beirut to Jerusalem. He serves as a model for commitment to Jewish continuity and has dedicated himself to the pursuit of justice.

When: Wednesday, May 29, 2002, as part of the commencement activities of the College-Institute.