Each year, the Immortal Chaplains Foundation presents a Prize for Humanity, honoring those who "risked all to protect others of a different faith or ethnic origin ". Dear Friend of 'These Immortal Chaplains',

Save the Date ! Saturday, February 2, 2008  

Honorary Chair:  Hon. Beverly O’Neill, and Patrons Desmond Tutu, and Dr. Jane Goodall

Event Co-Chairs Author Kay Lindahl and Rev. Karen Stoyanoff

Request the pleasure of your company at

The Immortal Chaplains Foundation for the 9th Annual Presentation of The Prize for Humanity

“Given to those who risked all to protect others of a different faith or ethnicity...”

Our 2008 presentation of this international award marks the 65th anniversary of the heroic actions of the Four Immortal Chaplains of different faiths, who gave up their life jackets so others might live. The Prize is presented to a person or persons ‘who risked all to protect others of a different faith or ethnicity’ thus promoting interfaith and global understanding.

The Prize will be presented to Orange County, CA resident, Aaron Cohen, who has worked undercover to locate and free thousands of victims of slavery in over 23 countries risking his life to do so. Media stories have called Cohen a ‘Slave Hunter’ for fighting human trafficking of women and children around the world. His work helped US Senators Paul Wellstone and Sam Brownback to pass the Congressional Trafficking Victim Protection Act of 2000. This law, and the subsequent Protection Act of 2003, inspired over 102 international laws to prohibit human trafficking and protect women and children worldwide. Cohen continues to foster dialogue between national policy-makers, law enforcement and victim shelters to ensure the safety, care and rehabilitation of the rescued women and children.

When:		Saturday, February 2, 2008, 6:30 pm Reception with Honorees followed by dinner & presentation of The 2008 Prize for Humanity $75 per person
Where:		The Grand Salon on The Queen Mary 1126 Queensway, Long Beach CA 90802

For More Information or to RSVP, phone 562.499.6670,
e-mail info@immortalchaplains.org, or write to us at
The Immortal Chaplains Foundation,
1126 Queensway, Long Beach CA  90802

  

For Immediate Release      

Contact:  David Fox Direct:
612.272.9109         

Feb 3rd: 2007 Prize for Humanity to go to Darfur/Chad Aid Team

Actor Don Cheadle presenting Prize with Paul Rusesabagina on QM

The 2007 Prize for Humanity, “given to those who risked all to protect others of a different faith or ethnic origin”, will be presented on the historic RMS Queen Mary on Saturday, February 3, 2007 at 7 pm in Long Beach, California.

The Prize will be presented by the Oscar and Golden Globe Nominee, Don Cheadle. Mr. Cheadle is known for his activism on behalf of the victims of the Darfur crisis, traveling to the region with members of Congress to enlist their support. He will be joined by the 2000 Prize for Humanity recipient, Paul Rusesabagina and his wife, Tasiana. Mr. Cheadle portrayed Paul in one of his most famous roles in the film “Hotel Rwanda”.

The 2007 Prize recipients Derk Rijks, Marie-Rose Neloum and Gillhoube Patallet, a Dutch and two African citizens respectively, responded with compassion to the growing humanitarian crisis in the Darfur/Chad region of Africa. The team, sponsored by the Dutch NGO, KoZon, responded to the increasing danger to women and children as they searched for cooking fuel in the remote refugee camp areas. Since 2005 the team has risked personal danger as they bring simple solar ovens to some 200,000 mostly Muslim refugees fleeing the crisis in Darfur/Chad. The constant search for firewood has devastating effects on the safety of women and children who must go far from the refugee camps in search of wood. They have been often raped and murdered by bands of militia. The $8.00 solar ovens made of cardboard and aluminum have protected many lives by reducing the need for firewood by 50-70%. They were nominated by Jewish World Watch, which supports their effort.

This is the 8th presentation of the Prize by The Immortal Chaplains Foundation in memory of The Four Immortal Chaplains of WWII who, of different faiths - Jewish, Catholic and Protestant - gave up their life jackets to others on the sinking troopship Dorchester and went down arm in arm in common prayer.

Tickets for the dinner event are $75 per person and table sponsorships are available. The event is co-sponsored by the Queen Mary’s RMS Foundation and RSVP information may be obtained by calling 562.499.6670 or online at www.ImmortalChaplains.org

Save the Date ! Saturday, February 3, 2007  

Honorary Chair:  Hon. Beverly O’Neill, and Patrons Desmond Tutu, and Dr. Jane Goodall

Event Co-Chairs Kay Lindahl and Rev. Karen Stoyanoff

Invite You to Join

The Immortal Chaplains Foundation for the 8th Annual Presentation of The Prize for Humanity

“Given to those who risked all to protect others of a different faith or ethnicity...”

The presentation of this international award is to preserve the legacy of the Four  Chaplains of different faiths who gave up their life jackets so others might live.  Arm in arm, they went down in common prayer on the sinking troopship Dorchester  on February 3, 1943.  They were true examples of “Interfaith in Action” as depicted on the postage stamp issued in their honor in 1948.

When:		Saturday, February 3, 2007, 6:30 pm Reception with Honorees followed by dinner & presentation of The 2007 Prize for Humanity $75 per person or table sponsorships available
Where:		The Queen’s Salon on The Queen Mary 1126 Queensway, Long Beach CA 90802

For More Information or to RSVP, phone 562.499.6670,
e-mail info@immortalchaplains.org, or write to us at
The Immortal Chaplains Foundation,
1126 Queensway, Long Beach CA  90802

Dear Friend of 'These Immortal Chaplains',  

Rabbi Harold Schulweis & Tibor Rubin to Receive New Award

‘Spirit of the Immortal Chaplains Award’ to be presented February 5th

Long Beach, CA -- The Immortal Chaplains Foundation announced it will present a new award, ‘Spirit of the Immortal Chaplains Award’ –“ Given to those whose lives have exemplified compassion for others, regardless of adversity or differences, in the spirit of the four Immortal Chaplains”

The new awards will be presented along with the Foundation’s Prize for Humanity aboard The Queen Mary, Sunday Feb 5that 2-4pm. The Foundation found there was a need for the new award to honor those who may not have necessarily risked their lives for others - as is the case with The Prize for Humanity but whose example of compassion was so compelling they needed to be recognized.   

Recipients for 2006:

Rabbi Harold Schulweis: Ordained a Rabbi in 1950, he first served in Oakland, California where he immediately reached out to African Americans in the community and achieved ritual equality for women in the synagogue. He pursued Interfaith Dialogue and urged Jewish responsibility to respond to suffering anywhere in the world and confront issues of social injustice, including compassion for gays & lesbians. He moved to Temple Valley Beth Shalom in Encino, CA in 1970, and established The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous to recognize ‘Righteous Gentiles’ who risked their lives to save Jews during the Nazi Holocaust. More recently, he founded Jewish World Watch to protest the suffering and to aid victims of genocide in Darfur, Sudan. Based in his congregation’s Temple in Encino, the organization has raised more than $100,000 to build medical clinics & water wells in Sudan and raise awareness of the crisis in Darfur.

Tibor Rubin: Bornin Hungary to Jewish parents in 1929, he was imprisoned by the Nazis in Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria. Liberated 2 years later by American troops, he emigrated to the US in 1948. In 1950 he joined the Army and was sent to the frontlines of the Korean War where he found himself under direct command of a First Sgt with extreme prejudice against his ethnicity. According to Army reports, Rubin was placed in the most dangerous patrols by this First Sgt. Twice, Rubin alone held off enemy advances for many hours to allow his company to escape. Officers recommending him for the Medal of Honor were themselves killed and the required paperwork was not filed by the First Sgt. Imprisoned by the Chinese for 30 months, Rubin nightly stole out to raid food supplies to keep others alive – directly saving the lives of 40 of his fellow prisoners. He was finally awarded The Medal of Honor in September 2005 after 52 years of official neglect of his case.

Dear Friend of 'These Immortal Chaplains',

ThePrize for Humanity To Be Presented February 5th

 Israeli, Palestinian & ‘Katrina’ Heroes receive honor on Queen Mary

Long Beach, CA -- The Immortal Chaplains Foundation will present its 7thPrize for Humanityon Sunday February 5th 2006 from 2-4pm. The event is free but RSVP at 562.499.6670. It will be held aboard The Queen Mary, an historic ocean liner that also served as a WWII troopship. The four Chaplains - Jewish, Catholic and Protestant - gave up their life jackets to soldiers on the torpedoed troopship Dorchester, and went down together, arm-in-arm in common prayer on February 3, 1943.  Their self-sacrifice and compassion for others, regardless of faith or race, was memorialized on a 1948 U.S. postage stamp entitled “These Immortal Chaplains - Interfaith in Action”. Their legacy is the basis for The Immortal Chaplains Prize for Humanity, given to “those who risked all to protect others of a different faith or ethnic origin.”      Honorees for 2006 are:

Dr. Yehuda Stolov & Interfaith Encounter Association in Israel & Palestine;

Dr. Stolov, an Orthodox Jewish-Israeli, organized colleagues from Muslim, Christian, Jewish and Druze faiths in 2001 to counter the escalating violence between Israelis and Palestinians. Risking their lives, they held public seminars to break down hostility and mistrust and have now created a sustainable model of Interfaith understanding and hope. Representing the organization’s colleagues for the Prize will be Ms. Najeeba Sirhan, Palestinian School Principal in Majd el-Krum. (www.Interfaith-Encounter.org)

Petty Officer 2nd Class, Jonathan M. Rice & U.S. Coast Guard Rescue Teams; During the devastating 2005 ‘Hurricane Katrina’ in New Orleans, Coast Guard Petty Officer Rice and his crew of rescue helicopter CG6522, were the first to appear to those abandoned to the storm. As Rescue Swimmer, Rice risked all to affect the hoisting rescue of 223 persons – most of different ethnicity than himself. Meeting with extreme physical hazards, Rice portrayed a positive attitude of hope continuously for 5 days and nights.

Past Honorees include (2000) Paul Rusesabagina, subject of the recent film, Hotel Rwanda; (1999) Amy Biehl, an American Fulbright scholar who died in the struggle against apartheid in South Africa; and (2001) Hugh C. Thompson, US Army helicopter pilot in Vietnam who prevented further killing at My Lai. For a complete list see: www.ImmortalChaplains.org. The Foundation recently moved its headquarters from Minneapolis, MN to Long Beach, CA aboard The Queen Mary. A new Interfaith Memorial Sanctuary on the Queen Mary will include a diorama depicting the final moments of the four Immortal Chaplains and the 670 men who died with them.


Dear Friend of 'These Immortal Chaplains',

Please click here to view donation information, 2006 Prize for Humanity attendee reservations, and additional info!

Dear Friend of ‘These Immortal Chaplains’: It is with great pleasure that we announce a recent $30,000 grant — $20,000 operating, $10,000 challenge — from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation in Atlanta, GA. This grant is fundamental to developing our foundation in its new location in Long Beach, CA and for our annual ‘Immortal Chaplains Prize for Humanity’.

In order to further our organization’s outreach we are relocating the foundation and office on board the historic Queen Mary in Long Beach Harbor. Here a memorial sanctuary and diorama depicting the last moments on the Dorchester will have exposure to nearly one million visitors per year. The great ship, known as the ‘Grey Ghost’ by U-boat crews, was the most successful troopship of WWII carrying almost 1 million troops to Europe. Consequently, there is a natural tie to the legacy of the four Immortal Chaplains who died with 670 others on the torpedoed troopship Dorchester on February 3, 1943.

On Sunday, February 5, 2006, we will celebrate this year’s Prize for Humanity honorees and the opening of our new office and the interfaith memorial sanctuary on board the Queen Mary. From 2-4 pm, we will present the annual Prize for Humanity to those who risked all to protect others of a different faith or ethnicity. It is with some pride we share with you that our 2000 Honoree, Paul Rusesabagina, became widely known through our presentation of the ‘Prize’ and consequently the subject of the film “Hotel Rwanda”. We hope you will join us for this event and to celebrate this exciting change for our foundation ‘family’, which we consider you to be.

The challenge grant of $10,000 is just that — a challenge to match the Blank Foundation funds with others from our supporters by December 31st. In this time of many requests for your help, we urge that this request does not go unheard. It is important to continue the long-term legacy of these Immortal Chaplains and to honor the sacrifice of the Dorchester dead through the far-reaching impact of our foundation. We ask that you consider the importance of a timely gift now with the knowledge that it will be matched by the Blank Family Foundation.

We look forward to your joining us February 5th in Long Beach and please help to make this memorial interfaith sanctuary a reality.

Sincerely,

David Fox
Co-Founder and Executive Director

Hon. Barry M. Sax
Chairman of the Board

Please click here to view donation information, attendee reservations, and additional info!

Dear Friend of 'These Immortal Chaplains',

Wednesday, 17 November 2004: Belated Presentation of 1999 ICF Prize for Humanity to widow of recipient, Charles W David, at U.S. Coast Guard Training Center, Cape May NJ. ICF Board Chair, Judge Barry Sax presenting the Prize with Dorchester Rescuer and USCG shipmate, Dick Swanson. Also attending is Alex Goode Fried, Grandson of Rabbi Alex Goode, one of the four Immortal Chaplains. In 1999 no next of kin could be located until recently thru the efforts of Judge Sax and the Coast Guard - the family were even unaware of where David was buried after his death from exposure rescuing others in Greenland - a trip to his grave on Long Island is also planned for them by the Foundation. For information call Barry Sax at, Cell: 818.497.5280

Dear Friend of 'These Immortal Chaplains',

"The Hallmark Channel premiere of a new televison documentary about the Immortal Chaplains is airing Wed 10 Nov at 10pm (ET) - check your local listings. Our foundation had a significant role in this production by Faith & Values Network. Directed by Oscar-winning Director, James Moll."

Dear Friend of 'These Immortal Chaplains',

It is with deepest regret that we inform you of the passing this afternoon (9/20/2004) of our beloved THERESA GOODE KAPLAN, widow of Immortal Chaplain, Alexander Goode. Theresa was someone who seemed to endure one tragedy after another with incredible strength and grace. She was not only our foundation's Honorary National Chair, she was so much of its inspiration... We loved her dearly and will cherish her memory...

Her funeral and memorial is planned for Washington DC on Wednesday.
She will be finally placed in rest next to her beloved daughter, Rosalie.

As the last surviving widow of the four Immortal Chaplains, Theresa was present in Washington DC at our 27 May 2004 Prize for Humanity presentation and she will be seen on November 10th 2004 in the Hallmark Channel's presentation of the new Video Documentary about the Chaplains and their legacy.

Any expressions of sympathy and/or memorials in her name will be acknowledged to her family by sending them to the foundation at:

Immortal Chaplains Foundation
2500 Hwy 88, Suite 210
Minneapolis, MN 55418




2004 Immortal Chaplains Prize for Humanity

The Sixth Annual Presentation of
The Prize for Humanity
Host: World War II Veterans Committee

Thursday, May 27th 2004, 6:00 pm

Hyatt Regency Capitol
Washington D.C.


The 2004 Prize for Humanity



Honorees

World War II Chaplains

Father Joseph O'Callahan was the first military Chaplain to receive the Medal of Honor since the Civil War. His aircraft carrier, the USS Franklin ,was hit by two Japanese bombs on March 19, 1945. Father O'Callahan distinguished himself over a three-day period by saving and caring for injured and burned men, and providing spiritual solace for the dying. He also organized damage control parties and personally helped jettison live shells and ammunition saving many lives and the ship itself.

Rabbi Roland Gittelsohn was Chaplain assigned to the 5th Marine division during the battle of Iwo Jima in February and March 1945. Rabbi Gittelsohn, the first Jewish chaplain assigned to the Marine Corps, was in the thick of the fray, ministering to men of all faiths wherever he was needed. He received three service awards for his conduct under fire, and his moving eulogy for the dedication of the U.S.Marine’s cemetery on Iwo Jima has become a national prayer of compassion for the dead of all faiths.

        Pictured above from left to right, bottom row: Ben Epstein (Survivor of "Dorchester"), Alex Goode Fried (Grandson of Rabbi Alex Goode), Theresa Goode Fried (Widow of Chaplain Alex Goode), Jay O'Callahan (Nephew of Fr. Joseph O'Callahan, pictured behind Theresa Goode Fried) Maj.Gen. David Hicks (U.S. Army Chief of Chaplains), Donna Gittelsohn (Daughter-in-law of Rabbi Gittelsohn) Above: David Fox (Foundation Executive Director)

        Maj. Gen. Hicks and other Service Chaplains accept the 2004 Prize for Humanity for placement in the Memorial Chapel in the Pentagon. Prize presented by family/survivors of the Dorchester story.

2004 Program

Welcome: Jim Roberts, President, World War II Veterans Committee
                  David Fox, Executive Director, Immortal Chaplains Foundation

Invocation: US Navy Chaplain Imam Abuhena Saiful-Islam

The Television Documentary, “Faith and Glory: The True Story of the Four Chaplains”, is a presentation of Faith & Values Media and is scheduled to air on The Hallmark Channel in the upcoming season. It was Directed by James Moll and Produced by Christopher Pavlick of Allentown Productions . Executive producers are Edward J.Murray,William Spencer Reilly and Jeffrey C.Weber for Faith & Values Media and Richard C. Berman and Brian K.Schlichter of Lancaster Gate Productions . Introduced by Jeff Weber, President & CEO of Lightworks Producing Group .

The 2004 Immortal Chaplains Prize for Humanity

Song “George, Alexander, Clark & John” written and sung by Ed Anderson

2004 Prize for Humanity Honorees – Presented by Chaplains’ Families, Dorchester Survivors, and Judge Barry Sax, Chair of the Immortal Chaplains Foundation.

Rabbi Roland Gittelsohn – Donna & Daniel Gittelsohn receiving

Fr Joseph O’Callahan – Jay O’Callahan receiving
Representatives of the Pentagon – for permanent placement in the Memorial Chapel: Maj. Gen. David Hicks

The Biography, “No Greater Glory— The Four Immortal Chaplains and the Sinking of the Dorchester in World War II” by Dan Kurzman was researched and written by this award-winning writer and published by Random House . Mr.Kurzman is a former foreign correspondent for The Washington Post and has written 15 previous books including “ Fatal Voyage:The sinking of the USS Indianapolis”. This new book has been selected for four Book Club editions.

Benediction US Army Chaplain Eric Wester – Office of the Chief of Chaplains

Thank you Marlene Solomon – Associate Director of The Immortal Chaplains Foundation

Reception and Book Signing

Click here For Full Original Program
(In PDF Format, click here to download Adobe's free PDF viewer)


In Washington November 2003:

Immortal Chaplain's widow, Theresa Goode Kaplan, with Chief of Chaplains, Maj. Gen. David Hicks, at the special memorial service at the new Pentagon chapel occupying the 9/11 crash site - November 7th 2003		In Washington D.C. for interviews for the Faith & Values/Hallmark Channel's video documentary were (Left to Right) Richard Swanson, Comanche Rescuer, Jim Eardley, Dorchester Survivor and David Fox, Foundation Executive Director.

Click here For Printable Donation Ticket
(In PDF Format, click here to download Adobe's free PDF viewer)



A Special Invitation
Sunday, February 2nd 2003 2-4pm
You are cordially invited to attend the 5th annual presentation of the

2003 Immortal Chaplains Prize for Humanity
given to those who risked all to protect others of different faith or ethnic origin Honoring the 60th anniversary of the sinking of the U.S. Troopship ‘Dorchester’, the loss of 672 men and of the saga of the four “Immortal Chaplains” - all of different faiths, they gave their life jackets to others and died with arms clasped in common prayer.

The 2003 Immortal Chaplains Prize for Humanity will be presented on Sunday, February 2, 2003 on the campus of Hamline University. The ceremony will be from 2-4 pm at the Anne Simley Theatre, 1536 Hewitt Avenue, St. Paul, Minnesotta. The event is free, but RSVP is required as there is limited seating. Please call the Immortal Chaplains office at (651) 523-2748 for reservations and information

2003 Honorees:

“The courageous Villagers of the region of Le Chambon, France” - who, in 1940-45, used “Weapons of the Spirit” to shelter and protect some 5,000 (mostly Jewish) refugees from extermination.
and

“The Service Volunteers of WWII” - men and women - who quietly toiled to protect others in the face of infamy, by bearing arms, driving ambulances or rivets into airplanes and in non-combative services of support. The annual ceremony is free and held in the Ann Simley Theater at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota




2002 Immortal Chaplains Prize for Humanity
Hosted by Norm Coleman, former mayor of St. Paul, MN
Sunday, February 3, 2002

2002 Immortal Chaplains Prize for Humanity Honorees are:

Omri Abdel-Halim Al-Jada
A Palestinian who risked all to save the life of a drowning Jewish child, Gosha Leftov, from the undertow of Lake Tiberias, August 2000. He made no hesitation in rescuing one of another faith and ethnic origin and in so doing he himself was drowned. His compassion flowed to those in need, whether Israeli or Palestinian,and his selfless act gives hope to all mankind.

Father Mychal Judge O.F.M.
Franciscan Friar and Chaplain to the New York City Fire Department: Known for his compassion to all faiths and ethnic origins, Fr. Mychal entered the burning World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 to minister to those in need. Removing his protective helmet to pray over a fallen fireman, though warned to leave, he was struck and killed by falling debris. His last words were: "I'm not finished here." In a larger sense his compassion for others, and this prize, hallows the hundreds of rescuers who died with him that day.

 

Vietnamese / Japanese Ambassadors & Minnesota Senator Wellstone Honor Recipients of 2001 Immortal Chaplains Prize for Humanity

The 2001 Immortal Chaplains Prize for Humanity was presented to:
Hugh C. Thompson, Jr. & Pastor Martin Niemoeller

February 4, 2001
2 - 4:00 pm
hosted by Hamline University,
St. Paul at the Anne Simley Theater.

2000 Prize for Humanity ceremony , with Host of Honor Senator Bob Dole, was held February 6, 2000, in Washington, DC at the Washington Hebrew Congregation. The recipients included:

Paul Rusesabagina
In 1994, although a member of the majority Hutu, this Manager of the Mille Collines Hotel in Kilgali, Rwanda risked all to protect some 1000 Tutsi minority in his care.

Chiune Sugihara
In 1940, as Consul-General for Japan in Lithuania he risked all to write more than 6000 visas, against his government's orders, for Jewish refugees fleeing annihilation.  He was recalled to Japan

Reconciliation Ceremony
Reconciliation of the Survivors of the U.S. Troopship Dorchester and Crew Members of the German U-boat 223

 

1999 Prize for Humanity ceremony, presided over by Nobel Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu, was held on February 7, 1999 in Minnesota. The recipients included:

Charles W. David,
an African-American Coast Guard mess attendant who died of exposure after plunging repeatedly in the freezing sea to rescue mostly white survivors of the USS Dorchester. 

Amy Biehl,
a white Fulbright scholar from California who was stoned to death in 1993 while working against Apartheid in South Africa.

Archbishop Tutu was the third recipient, honored for risking all for the oppressed people of South Africa and other nations.

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