Rabbi Michoel Ber Weissmandl Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2026

This bill proposes to posthumously award a Congressional Gold Medal to Rabbi Michoel Ber Weissmandl in recognition of his extraordinary acts of valor during World War II. The award specifically honors his extensive efforts to save Jewish people from the Holocaust, including establishing a "Working Group" to negotiate ransoms and delay deportations. The legislation directs the Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange the medal's presentation, with the Weissmandl Committee authorized to accept it on his behalf. The Secretary of the Treasury will design and strike the gold medal, which will subsequently be given to Samuel Dovid Weissmandl or Rabbi Menachem Meir Weissmandl. Additionally, the bill permits the striking and sale of duplicate bronze medals to the public. Rabbi Weissmandl's humanitarian work included obtaining visas, raising awareness through telegrams, and advocating for strategic actions like bombing railroad tunnels. He was also crucial in documenting the "Auschwitz Protocols" and, after the war, established the first Yeshiva campus in America for Holocaust survivors.