The two Rhodes Scholars-elect for Israel 2023 were selected, marking the culmination of a rigorous national selection process. The selection committee was chaired by the National Secretary for the Rhodes Scholarships for Israel, Doron Weber, and included prominent academics, entrepreneurs, and media leaders.
After a highly competitive application and preliminary selection process, the panel interviewed the shortlisted finalists, resulting in the selection of two winners who will be allowed to pursue their academic interests at the University of Oxford.
The two 2023 Rhodes Scholars-elect for Israel are Gal Rubin and Yonatan Gideoni. Rubin is pursuing a BSc in Natural Sciences at Minerva University, where she has focused on international maternal health and reducing maternal mortality worldwide. Her clinical experience and research took her to Berlin, London, Rochester, New York, and Arizona. She co-authored a series of papers assessing and improving clinical guidelines for hypertension in pregnancy. At Oxford, she plans to enroll in the MSc in International Health and Tropical Medicine, eventually hoping to become a physician leader in public health.
Yonatan Gideoni received a BSc in Physics and Astronomy with a Computer Science minor at Hebrew University, where he was in the Amirim Excellence Program. He is currently studying for an MPhil in Advanced Computer Science at Cambridge University. As a high school student, Gideoni joined Israel's flagship high-tech company, Mobileye, as an algorithm developer and recently completed an internship in quantum computing in Germany. At Oxford, he plans to pursue a DPhil in Computer Science focusing on autonomous intelligent machines.
On completing the selection of the sixth cohort of Rhodes Scholars from Israel, Doron Weber, the National Secretary for the Rhodes Scholarships for Israel, said: "We’re thrilled in our 7th year to see another exceptional group of young Israeli leaders in science, medicine, government, philosophy the arts and political activism. At a time when Israel is grappling with so many challenges, it’s heartening to encounter such brilliant and idealistic leaders determined to improve their society."