TWI Honors Human Rights Campaigners Ibrahim and Sharansky; Civic Leader Shapiro
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | November 21, 2011
Press Contact: 202.230.9550, press@washingtoninstitute.org
WASHINGTON - Two heroes of the campaign for freedom and human rights in the Middle East -- Natan Sharansky of Israel and Saad Eddin Ibrahim of Egypt -- will jointly receive The Washington Institute for Near East Policy's Scholar-Statesman Award at a benefit dinner in Manhattan on Monday evening, December 5, at 583 Park Avenue.
In addition, the Institute will pay special tribute to civic leader John M. Shapiro, a longtime trustee of the Institute whose leadership embraces commitment to positive, hopeful change on local, national, and international levels. Ambassador Dennis B. Ross, currently special assistant to President Obama, will deliver remarks in Mr. Shapiro's honor on what will be his first day as distinguished fellow and counselor of The Washington Institute.
Working media who wish to cover the December 5 event at 583 Park Avenue should contact Rebecca Edelston at (202) 230-9550 or press@washingtoninstitute.org. The dinner begins at 6 p.m. Watch a special video about the honorees.
"The Scholar-Statesman Award celebrates outstanding leaders who, through their public service and professional achievements, exemplify the idea that sound scholarship and a discerning knowledge of history are essential to wise and effective policy and the advancement of peace and security in the Middle East," explains Institute President Martin J. Gross.
Sharansky and Ibrahim are the first Middle Easterners to receive this coveted prize. Previous winners include President Bill Clinton, British prime minister Tony Blair, historian Bernard Lewis, and former secretaries of state George P. Shultz and Henry Kissinger.
During the evening, Sharansky and Ibrahim will engage in a public conversation about the direction of change in the Middle East since the fall of Hosni Mubarak and the uprisings that have shaken Arab countries.
Civic leaders Howard P. Berkowitz and Merryl H. Tisch are honorary cochairs of the event. Dinner cochairs are Vanessa and Anthony Beyer, Carol and Roger Einiger, Ahuva and Martin J. Gross, and Lori and Zachary Schreiber.
About the Washington Institute
The Washington Institute is an independent, nonpartisan research institution that advances a balanced and realistic understanding of U.S. interest in the broader Middle East. Drawing on the research of its fellows and the experience of its policy practitioners, the Institute promotes informed debate and scholarly research on U.S. policy in the region.