The World Jewish Congress (WJC) presented its annual Theodor Herzl Award on Nov. 10 in New York to Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), recognizing both lawmakers for their steadfast support of Israel and leadership in combating antisemitism.
A WJC spokesperson told JNS the organization is “grateful for both of their commitments to working across party lines to support Jewish Americans and the State of Israel.”
Fetterman has drawn national attention for displaying Israeli flags outside his Senate office and publicly condemning antisemitic rhetoric within his own party.
In his address receiving the award, he said, “The proudest thing that I’ve done in my Senate career is to stand for Israel and with the Jewish community worldwide.”
Stefanik, who filed to run for governor of New York in the 2026 elections, led congressional hearings exposing antisemitism on college campuses. At the WJC event, she said these hearings “revealed a moral and academic rot at the heart of our most elite institutions—a rot that fuels antisemitism while pretending to champion ‘inclusion.’”
“Being a fighter in the spirit of Herzl requires both courage and vision,” she said. “The ability to see intuitively where the next battlefield lies, and then to take up the fight.”
Roland Lauder, president of WJC, praised the pair for “standing up publicly, unapologetically, and unequivocally in defense of the State of Israel and the Jewish people.”
