New York - Princess Lalla Hasna received on behalf of King Mohammed VI, on Sunday in New York, the "Martin Luther King Jr. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel" Freedom Award given posthumously to late King Mohammed V.
New York – Princess Lalla Hasna received on behalf of King Mohammed VI, on Sunday in New York, the “Martin Luther King Jr. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel” Freedom Award given posthumously to late King Mohammed V.
The award ceremony, which took place at a glittering event held in B’nai Jeshurun Synagogue in the heart of New York, was marked by the reading of a message of HM King Mohammed VI by the King’s Advisor André Azoulay.
The ceremony was attended notably by Moroccan Ambassador-at-Large Serge Berdugo, Morocco’s Ambassador to the United States Rachad Bouhlal and Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Morocco to the United Nations, Omar Hilale.
Presenting the award to Princess Lalla Hasnaa, on behalf of the students, staff and executives of the prestigious Kivunim Institute, co-chair of the conference of the graduates of this institute, Eliana Lauter, recalled that Late HM King Mohammed V objected the racist laws of the Vichy government, expressing his “firm opposition” to any segregation between his subjects regardless of their religions.
“When the villainous laws of Nazi Germany against the Jews were imposed by the Vichy government, Late HM King Mohammed V loudly proclaimed his benevolent protection of his Jewish subjects, setting an example to follow,” she said.
The students, staff, faculty and board of the Kivunim institute decided, on this occasion, to highlight and pay tribute to the honorable action of Late King Mohammed V, which will remain forever etched in the annals of human history, and to highlight “the image of justice” that he represents, she underlined.
The evening was wonderfully wrapped up by a Jewish-Arab music concert with the participation of Mira Awa and David Broza.
