Interior Minister Aryeh Deri on Wednesday slammed the selection process of Israel Prize recipients tweeting that it was impossible that the selection committee could not find a single Mizrhai Jew or Arab-Israeli worthy of receiving the prize.
The Jewish nation's highest civilian decoration, the Israel Prize honors individuals who made extraordinary contrition to Israel and its global standing. But since it was established in 1953 only 100 women and 6 Arab-Israelis have been honored with it.
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This year, Professor Avishay Braverman, founder and Presidents of the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya was awarded the Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement, as was Naomi Stuchiner, founder of Beit Issie Shapiro, which develops and provides innovative therapies and services for children and adults across the entire range of disabilities.
Prof. Gideon Rechavi was honored for his contribution to the field of medicine, Sarah Breitberg-Semel won the Israel Prize for visual arts, Prof. Benjamin Z Kedar won the Israel Prize for history, and Prof. Joseph Klafter was honored for his achievements in the fields of chemistry and physics.
Prof. Vered Noam won the Israel Prize for Talmud studies, becoming the first woman to win the top honor in this field.
Rabbi Yaakov Ariel won the prize for Torah literature, Prof. Dani Zamir was honored for his achievements in the fields of agriculture and environment, and Prof. Avraham Ben-Zvi, Israel Hayom's senior international affairs commentator, won the Israel Prize for management sciences, political science and international relations.
In his tweet, Deri stressed that "10 Israel Prize winners were selected for Independence Day and none of them are Mizrahi or Arab. They are all worthy of the honor, but how could it be that no Mizrahi or Arab individual was found eligible for it in any field?
"That's shameful. Too bad we haven't made any progress," he wrote, meaning Israeli society in general.
Like all other Independence Day events, the Israel Prize ceremony was held without an audience over the restrictions imposed on public gathering over the coronavirus outbreak.
President Reuven Rivlin sent his congratulations to the winners in a video message, saying, "Being awarded the Israel Prize is a significant milestone for you as researchers, artists, and leaders, each one of you in their field.
"It is also an important statement for us as a country and society, giving our best people recognition. You, the recipients of the prize, represent Israeli excellence and the many faces of Israeli society. It is a diverse and active society which changes and develops, a society that knows how to break down accepted wisdom and barriers, which is not afraid of difficult questions and is constantly searching for answers and insights."
