To award posthumously a congressional gold medal to John Pehle in recognition of his contributions to the Nation in helping rescue Jews and other minorities from the Holocaust during World War II.

H.R. 5011 is a bipartisan proposal to posthumously award the Congressional Gold Medal—the highest civilian honor bestowed by Congress—to John Pehle. The bill recognizes Pehle’s leadership as the first executive director of the War Refugee Board, where he played a pivotal role in saving tens of thousands of Jews and other persecuted minorities from the Holocaust during World War II. If enacted, the medal would be presented to his family or personal representative and later displayed by the Smithsonian Institution to educate the public about his humanitarian contributions.