Seven immigrants to Israel from English-speaking countries have been awarded the 2017 Sylvan Adams Nefesh B’Nefesh Bonei Zion Prize.
The $10,000 prizes announced Tuesday are awarded to English-speaking immigrants who have made a major contribution the State of Israel. The prizes will be awarded at an official ceremony at the Knesset at the end of June.
The honorees include: Professor Benjamin W. Corn, head of the Institute of Radiotherapy at Ichilov Hospital in the field of Science & Medicine; Beth Steinberg, director and co-founder of ShutafInclusion Programs and artistic director and co-founder of Theater in the Rough in the field of Community & Non-Profit; Rabbi Chaim Brovender, founder and Rosh Yeshiva of WebYeshiva.org in the field of Education; Professor Gerald Steinberg, president of NGO Monitor and Professor of Political Studies at Bar Ilan University in the field of Israel Advocacy; and Yoram Raanan,contemporary Jewish artist in the field of Culture, Art & Sports.
In addition, Lifetime Achievement Awards were announced for Professor Alice Shalvi for decades of inspiring contributions in shaping the status of women in Israel through education and advocacy; and Professor Eliezer Jaffe for his accomplishments in nonprofit and philanthropic giving, raising awareness and support for Israeli citizens in need.
A Young Leadership Prize also was awarded to Captain Libby Weiss, head of the Social Media Department in the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, and to Scott Neiss, founder and executive director of the Israel Lacrosse Association.
Hundreds of immigrants from English-speaking countries – including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States – were nominated for the prize. The prize “recognizes outstanding Anglo olim who have helped Israel in a meaningful way by encapsulating the spirit of modern-day Zionism and contributing in significant ways towards the State of Israel,” NBN said in a statement.
The panel of judges included Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, the Israeli military’s former chief of staff; Colette Avital, an Israeli diplomat; David Gerstein, an internationally renowned painter and sculptor; Barbara Goldstein, the deputy executive director of Hadassah in Israel; Yonatan Halevy, director general of Shaare Zedek Medical Center; Efraim Halevy , former director of the Mossad; Gabriela Shalev, president of the Higher Academic Council and dean of the law school at Ono Academic College; Rabbi Berel Wein, founder and director of The Destiny Foundation, and Yael Arad, the first Israeli to win an Olympic medal.
Nefesh B’Nefesh is a nonprofit organization founded in 2002 to encourage and facilitate the aliyah process for Jews from North America and the United Kingdom.