Israel Prize

The Israel Prize is the most prestigious award handed out by the State of Israel. It is presented annually, on the eve of the Israeli Independence Day, in a state ceremony in Jerusalem. 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 1978.

Criticisms of the prize

Sometimes, the decision to award the prize to specific individuals has 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 punted the decision to award the prize to sculptor Yigal Tumarkin back to the prize committee.

Related Topics:
Yeshayahu Leibowitz - Yigal Tumarkin

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On occasion, the committee is also criticised for failing to award the prize to an individual. For example, many have expressed criticism (or regret) that the poet Natan Yonatan never received the prize.

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Another criticism of the prize is that the large majority of winners so far have been male and Jewish. Only 12% of the winners have been female, and only four have been non-Jewish: actor Makram Khouri, Druze leader Sheikh Amin Tarif, writer Emile Habibi and theologian Marcel-Jacques Dubois.

Related Topics:
Jewish - Makram Khouri - Sheikh Amin Tarif - Emile Habibi - Marcel-Jacques Dubois

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