Rep. Engel Awarded "Frizis" from Cyprus and Hellenic Leadership Conference

Congressman Eliot Engel has been awarded the prestigious Frizis Award at the Annual Cyprus and Hellenic Leadership Conference.

Engel, a Democrat and ranking member of the House foreign affairs committee, was honored earlier this month with the Frizis, which is given annually to a prominent member of the US Jewish community for contributions to Hellenic issues. 

Named after Mordohai Frizis, the Jewish Greek military officer to give his life defending freedom against the Axis Powers in World War II, the Frizis has been awarded 29 times.

The award, which contains soil from Greece, the US, and Israel has previously been awarded to UN Ambassador Richard Holbrooke and US Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman, Carl Levin.

"As we mark the 69th Anniversary of D-Day, we must not forget the many heroes who stood up in the face of oppression...," Engel was quoted saying in a prepared statement. "Mordohai Frizis gave his life so that generations after him would be free."