Israel Prize winners announced, among them Netanyahu critic Eyal Waldman
After this year's prize ceremony being roiled in controversy, Education Minister Yoav Kisch announces the full list of winners of Israel's most prestigious prize.
Education Minister Yoav Kisch announced Thursday that the Israel Prize ceremony will be held during the country's 76th Independence Day, the first of such following the October 7 massacre in the city of Sderot.
Following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, Kisch decided to hold the annual Israel Prize this year as a sign of revival, civil heroism, and mutual guarantee. Special recognition will be given to Israeli citizens who demonstrated extraordinary bravery and contributed to the revival of the state following the outbreak of war.
This year, in addition to the three awards celebrating Israeli revival, two-lifetime achievement awards, and nine awards in other professional categories will be given.
Confirmation of Netanyahu critic
The education minister announced six additional winners. The announcement also provided the first confirmation of Eyal Waldman, an Israeli tech businessman, who criticized Prime Minister Netanyahu over the judicial reform policies passed by the government. Kisch reportedly requested that the committee that voted on the prize not give the prize to Waldman.
The ceremony also comes after Kisch's initial demand to cancel the ceremony, which resulted in Israel's High Court requesting the government to provide justifications for the cancellation.
The winners include the following:
The Israel Prize in Psychology Research is awarded to Prof. Gershon Ben Shahar.
The Israel Prize in Life Sciences Research is awarded to Prof. Hagai Bergman.
The Israel Prize for Entrepreneurship and Technological Innovation is awarded to Mr. Eyal Waldman.
The Israel Prize in Torah Literature and Hebrew Law is awarded to Rishon Lezion, the Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef.
The Israel Prize for Research in Mathematics, Computer Science, and Computer Engineering is awarded to Prof. Vitali Milman.
The Israel Prize for Economic Research and Statistics Research is awarded to Prof. Yaakov Ritov.
Kisch noted in his statement that "this year, we will hold the Israel Prize ceremony with the heroic residents of the city of Sderot. The State of Israel is at war, and we cherish our soldiers at the front, we remember our hostage brothers and sisters, and we praise the heroism and spirit that has pulsated in the nation since the dawn of history."
"The Israel Prize is an award for Israeli excellence, and the honor of the winners is the honor of the State of Israel. Unfortunately, in my announcement today, there were no women honorees, only men. The discretion in this matter is in the hands of the companies and members of the various committees, and I hope that they will choose deserving women in the following categories."
"The hour is the hour of war; the order of the hour is unity, and together, Israeli excellence will face every challenge and defeat every enemy," Kisch said.
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