Israel to Honor Steven Spielberg with Highest Civilian Award

Legendary director Steven Spielberg will be receiving the Presidential Medal of Distinction, Israel's highest civilian honor, from Israeli President Shimon Peres.

Alongside novelst, Holocaust survivor and Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel, Speilberg will be given the honor in recognition of “his contribution to cinema over the past 50 years and specifically his unique contribution to the memory of the Holocaust, to the State of Israel, to the Jewish people."

A few standouts in Spielberg's cannon deal with Jewish history and Jewish communities: "Munich" and "Schindler's List" primarily.