King David was a complex figure, a seminal Biblical hero whose actions and words continue to touch us today. He was a shepherd, a warrior, a poet whose Psalms are filled with the yearning for peace, and a brilliant leader with a strategic approach to statecraft. In the award that bears his name, we capture the concept that a single, dedicated person can change the world.
The award has been presented only to a very select group of individuals who have demonstrated just how much one person can make a difference. Prime Minister Netanyahu honored Kirk Douglas with the King David Award for a lifetime of achievements. A special King David Award was presented in the Knesset by Prime Minister Shimon Peres to President Ronald Reagan "for his inspirational commitment and unwavering support for Israel during his presidency." Daughter, Maureen, accepted. Tom Brokaw presented the award to Great Britain's Lady Margaret Thatcher, for her staunch support of Israel and championship for the cause of Soviet Jewry. Barbara Walters and Michael Douglas gave Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev the King David Award for freeing Soviet Jewry to go to Israel to learn their heritage. President Clinton presented the first award in 1994 to Steven Speilberg who had sensitized hundreds of millions of people around the world to the Holocaust with the Oscar-winning Schindler's List. In March of 1998, the King David Award was presented to Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Dr. Henry Kissinger, who set in motion the negotiations which ultimately led the Egypt-Israel peace treaty, who continues to help guide American foreign policy and whose wise counsel is respected in Washington and Jerusalem.