The Israel Prize is the most prestigious award handed out by the State of Israel. It is presented annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state ceremony in Jerusalem, in the presence of the President, the Prime Minister, the Knesset (Israel's legislature) chairperson, and the Supreme Court president. The prize was set up in 1953 at the initiative of the Minister of Education Ben-Tzur Dinor, who himself went on to win the prize in 1958 and 1973. Yom Haatzmaut (Hebrew: yom hā-‘aá¹£mā’ūṯ), Israeli Independence Day, commemorates the declaration of independence of Israel in 1948. ... Hebrew יְרוּשָׁלַיִם (Yerushalayim) (Standard) Yerushalayim or Yerushalaim Arabic commonly القـُدْس (Al-Quds); officially in Israel أورشليم القدس (Urshalim-Al-Quds) Name Meaning Hebrew: (see below), Arabic: The Holiness Government City District Jerusalem Population 724,000 (2006) Jurisdiction 123,000 dunams (123 km²) Jerusalem (Hebrew:  , Yerushaláyim or Yerushalaim; Arabic:  , al-Quds, the Holiness)[2... President of the State of Israel (Hebrew: ‎, Nesí Hamdiná, literally: The President of the State) is the Head of State of Israel, but has a largely ceremonial, figurehead role with real power lying in the hands of the Prime Minister of Israel. ... The Prime Minister of Israel (Hebrew: ראש הממשלה, Rosh HaMemshala, lit. ... The modern Knesset building, Israels parliament, in Jerusalem Though similar-sounding, Beit Knesset (בית כנסת) literally means House of Assembly, and refers to a synagogue. ... The Supreme Court (Hebrew: בית המשפט העליון, Beit Hamishpat Haelyon ) is at the head of the court system in the State of Israel. ... 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday. ...

Awarding the prize

The prize is awarded in the following four areas, with the precise subfields changing from year to year in a cycle of 4 to 7 years, except for the last area, which is awarded annually:

• the humanities, social sciences, and Jewish studies
• the natural and exact sciences
• culture, arts, communication and sports
• lifetime achievement and exceptional contribution to the nation (since 1972)

The recipients of the prize are Israeli citizens or organizations who have displayed excellence in their field(s), or have contributed strongly to Israeli culture. The winners are selected by committees of judges, who pass on their recommendations to the Education Minister. Israeli culture is inseparable from Judaism which preceded it (i. ...

Prize winners are elected by ad-hoc committees, appointed by the minister of education for each category each year. Decisions of the committee must be unanimous.

As of 2004, the prize has been awarded 551 times. Prominent winners include Shmuel Yosef Agnon, Aharon Appelfeld, Abba Eban, Leah Goldberg, Israel Aumann, Michael O. Rabin and Saharon Shelah. Though the prize is generally awarded to Israeli citizens only, in exceptional cases it can be awarded to non-Israelis who have held Israeli residency for many years. Zubin Mehta won the Israel Prize in 1991. Mehta is originally from India, and is Music Director of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Shmuel Yosef Agnon (Hebrew: שמואל יוסף עגנון; known as shay agnon, born Shmuel Yosef Czaczkes) (July 17, 1888 – February 17, 1970) was the first Hebrew writer to win the Nobel Prize in literature (1966). ... Aharon Appelfeld (b. ... Abba Eban (אבא אבן) (February 2, 1915 – November 17, 2002) was an Israeli diplomat and politician. ... Lea Goldberg (1911-1970) was a Hebrew poet and student of literature who is considered one of Israels classic poets. ... Israel Robert John Aumann (born June 8, 1930, Frankfurt am Main, Germany) is an Israeli mathematician and a member of the United States National Academy of Sciences. ... Michael Oser Rabin (born 1931 in Breslau, Germany, today in Poland) is a noted computer scientist and a recipient of the Turing Award, the most prestigious award in the field. ... Saharon Shelah (שהרן שלח, born July 3, 1945 in Jerusalem) is an Israeli mathematician. ... Zubin Mehta (born April 29, 1936) is an Indian conductor of Western classical music. ... Fredric R. Mann Auditorum (he:Hichal Hatarbot), home of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra The Leonard Bernstein Plaza in front of the Mann Auditorum The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (abbreviation IPO; Hebrew: התזמורת הפילהרמונית הישראלית, ha-Tizmoret ha-Filharmonit ha-Yisreelit) is the leading symphony orchestra in Israel, and one of the top orchestras...

The prize money was 50,000 NIS as of 2006.

Controversy

The decision to award the prize to specific individuals has sometimes led to impassioned political debate. In 1993, the strong reaction against the nomination of Yeshayahu Leibowitz led Leibowitz to decline the prize. In 2004, the Education and Culture Minister, Limor Livnat, twice sent the decision to award the prize to sculptor Yigal Tumarkin back to the prize committee. Yeshayahu Leibowitz (1903-1994) was an Israeli scientist, philosopher and public figure noted for his outspoken and often controversial opinions regarding morals, ethics, politics, and religion. ... Yigal Tumarkin (born in Dresden, Germany in 1933) is an Israeli painter and sculptor, and winner of the Israel Prize in 2004. ...

On occasion, the committee has been criticised for failing to award the prize to a specific individual. For example, many have expressed criticism (or regret) that the poet Natan Yonatan never received the prize.^{[verification needed]} Natan Yonatan (1923 - 2004) Ukrainian-born Jewish poet, former editor of Sifriat Poalim Publishing House. ...

Another criticism of the prize is that the large majority of winners have been male and Jewish. Non-Jewish winners so far include Israeli ambassador Ali Yahya, actor Makram Khouri, Druze leader Sheikh Amin Tarif, writer Emile Habibi and theologian Marcel-Jacques Dubois. This criticism is difficult to address as most of those eligible for the prize are Jewish. The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination... Emile Habibi (August, 1921 - May 3, 1996) was a Palestinian-Israeli writer and politician. ...

See also

• List of Israel Prize recipients

This is a partial list of winners of the Israel Prize. ...

External links

• Israel Prize official site (in Hebrew)
• October, 2006: Ariel Sharon's disputable nomination for Israel Prize - From Ariel Sharon' Life Story, biography (in English)