David M. Friedman CC’78 has been appointed U.S. Ambassador to Israel.

Friedman, who majored in history at the College, is a nationally top-ranked attorney and a founding partner of Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman, where he chaired the Creditor’s Rights and Bankruptcy Practice Group.

Friedman, who holds a law degree from New York University, was previously a partner at Mudge Rose Guthrie Alexander & Ferdon and at Gordon Hurwitz Butowsky, an associate at Finley Kumble and at O’Sullivan Graev & Karabell. He is the recipient of the Sir Harold Acton Medal from New York University and has received numerous recognitions from Chambers, Lawdragon, Law 360, among other publications, for excellence in the legal field.

Friedman joins a number of College alumni who have served as ambassadors, including Monteagle Stearns CC’48, who served as U.S. Ambassador to the Ivory Coast and to Greece; Arthur F. Burns CC’25, who served as U.S. Ambassador to Germany; Dore Gold CC’75, SIPA’79, GSAS’84, who served as Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations; Ray Burghardt CC’67, who served as U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam; Howard Gutman CC’77, who served as U.S. Ambassador to Belgium; and Michael Oren CC’77, SIPA’78, who served as Israeli Ambassador to the U.S.