BMW Group receives the Teddy Kollek Award. Jerusalem Foundation honors the German carmaker’s commitment.

Munich/Jerusalem. The BMW Group has been presented with the Teddy Kollek Award in recognition of the company’s continuing support of the Jerusalem Foundation. Dr. Norbert Reithofer, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, accepted the award at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament. Every year the award is bestowed upon friends and sponsors of the Jerusalem Foundation who advocate the values represented by the award’s founder, Jerusalem’s former mayor Teddy Kollek, and the foundation’s projects.

The BMW Group has supported the Jerusalem Foundation for over two decades. Besides various activities in the area of vocational school programs for future automotive mechanics, the company’s focus is on sponsoring a training course carried out by the Adam Institute for Democracy and Peace that promotes democratic values at Jewish and Arab schools.
The decision to honor the BMW Group with the Teddy Kollek Award had been long overdue, emphasized Irene Pollak-Rein, the Jerusalem Foundation’s Director for German Speaking Countries. “The company supports some of the foundation’s key programs and projects. These include a peaceful coexistence as well as the promotion of an open and modern society in Jerusalem. Due to its outstanding commitment, the BMW Group deserves to be recognized with this award.”

Dr. Reithofer accepted the award at the celebratory ceremony; guests at the event included the German ambassador, Dr. Harald Kindermann, and Charlotte Knobloch, President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany. The award was presented by Nir Barkat, the mayor of Jerusalem and Honor President of the Jerusalem Foundation, Ruth Cheshin, the foundation’s International President, and the Speaker of the Knesset, Reuven Rivlin.

On behalf of the BMW Group, Dr. Norbert Reithofer thanked the Jerusalem Foundation for the recognition and underlined: “The work of the Jerusalem Foundation, which we have been supporting for many years, brings young people from different backgrounds and religions together. We are convinced that the major global challenges of our time can only be mastered through cooperation, in a world in which people coexist peacefully.”

Intercultural activities have long been a focus of the BMW Group’s social commitment program which mainly concentrates on sustainable and long-term activities.

For further information, please see www.jerusalemfoundation.org/de and www.bmwgroup.com/socialcommitment.

If you have any questions please contact:

Konstanze Carreras-Solé, Corporate Statements, Social Responsibility
Phone: 0049-89-382-52894, Fax: 0049-89-382-28017
Internet: www.press.bmwgroup.com
E-mail: presse@bmw.de