The Erich Schelling Architecture Foundation, located in Karlsruhe, Germany, has decided not to present an excellence award to a British artist following his support for boycotting Israel. The foundation typically awards two prizes every two years, each worth 30,000 marks ($16,200 USD) – one for completed architectural work and another for innovative theoretical architectural planning.

This year, the foundation's jury selected British artist James Bridle for his theoretical work, praising it as providing "significant enrichment to current discourse on complex relationships between society, technology, and ecology."

On Monday, just two days before the ceremony scheduled for Wednesday, the foundation publicly announced that it would not distribute this year's special prize for theoretical architectural planning, the category in which Bridle had won.

The British newspaper The Guardian learned that the decision not to award the prize to James Bridle stemmed from his signature on a letter calling for the boycott of Israeli cultural institutions in response to the war in Gaza. The letter, published on an American cultural portal and signed by thousands of artists, accuses Israel of ethnic cleansing and apartheid.

pic.twitter.com/3Je7VRDxCB

— James Bridle (@jamesbridle) November 1, 2023

 The foundation's management discovered Bridle's signature on the letter and subsequently unanimously decided to cancel the award, citing "awareness of German national history and the responsibility that comes with it."

According to the foundation's management, which notified the British artist via email last Sunday about the withdrawal of the prize, his signature supporting a cultural boycott against Israel stands in complete opposition to the cultural institution's worldview. The foundation's leadership stated, "We naturally respect the right to express political positions and understand this is not antisemitism, but the foundation cannot support or be associated with calls for the cultural isolation of Israel."

The foundation's decision referenced the recent German parliament resolution against antisemitism. This resolution conveys the message that "Never again is now: Jewish life in Germany must be protected, preserved, and strengthened." The initiative, unusually uniting coalition and opposition members, passed a set of principles to protect Jewish life in the country.

The proposal also addressed the cultural and arts world, drawing protests from artists who worried that criticism of Israel would be automatically interpreted as antisemitism – potentially limiting freedom of expression. Nevertheless, the decision passed several weeks ago appears to be quickly influencing the cultural sphere, which until recently had been fertile ground for antisemitic expressions, often in the name of artistic freedom.

The British artist, who just lost a substantial monetary prize and international recognition for his work, responded angrily, saying, "Even if they're unwilling to state it openly, the decision is a despicable accusation of antisemitism." Bridle, who had previously created artworks criticizing Israel, also took a jab at the German institution's past, as the Schelling Foundation is named after architect Erich Schelling, whose work during the National Socialist period repeatedly sparked public controversy. In 1933, he joined Nazi organizations, including the SA, and was also a member of the NSDAP.

The foundation's decision comes just days after a German court fined a German-Muslim art curator for posting content praising the October 7 massacre.

The post German foundation revokes artist's prize over Israel stance appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Two independent research teams, among them one co-led by Israeli physicist Dr. Shlomi Kotler, were awarded this week the 2021 Breakthrough of the Year prize by the magazine Physics World for advancing humanity's understanding of quantum systems.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter 

The research led by Kotler, from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Department of Applied Physics, along with John Teufel from the US National Institute of Standards and Technology, was praised for their breakthrough of entangling two macroscopic vibrating drumheads. 

Their efforts "could open the door for entangled resonators to be used as quantum sensors or as nodes in quantum networks. As a result, this work deserves its place as the first quantum-related Breakthrough of the Year since 2015," Physics World said. 

The second research team was led by Mika Sillanpaa and colleagues at Aalto University, Finland, and the University of New South Wales, Australia.

"I'm very happy and excited about this award," Kotler said. "We've been at it a long time and took quite a few risks along the way. If it went right, we would have the rare chance to see macroscopic entanglement. If it didn't, four years of research would have gone down the drain.

"Fortunately, we saw entanglement, and the rest, as they say, is quantum history. I very much appreciate the fact that Hebrew University and the Department of Applied Physics and the Quantum Center believed in my research over the years."

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Israeli researcher wins Physics Breakthrough of the Year award appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Just like with heartburn, no one really pays attention to the International Emmy award until you actually have one. 

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

Nevertheless, the fact that the Israeli spy thriller Tehran beat more than 20 contenders to win the Drama Series category is quite an accomplishment. 

No doubt, those in the television industry dream of being awarded the golden statuette. But the question is: How much does it help the series? Turns out, not much. 

Ask the creators of Nevsu, which won an International Emmy for the comedy series in 2018, and they will tell you that the victory did not even help them secure a permanent spot on a broadcaster's program. 

Because what else does such an award provide other than a feeling of accomplishment, appreciation, interviews, and opportunities for those involved? Tehran has already been renewed for a second season. Also, an Emmy does undo the plot's flaws. 

Perhaps it's a good thing that movie critics are not the ones awarding the prize, and all that is left for us to do is wonder how a spy thriller that wasn't even Kan 11's best show this year got this distinction.

Perhaps it is due to the world being overly fond of Israel's conflicts with others. Tensions between Israel and Iran that have been fueled by international media for years seem to intrigue global viewers that are somewhat familiar with the conflict. 

Add to that the passionate love affair between a young Iranian and an Israeli Mossad agent. That part of the plot alone is worth half an Emmy. 

Waltz with Bashir, Beaufort, Prisoners of War, Fauda, and now Tehran. When Israel is not at war, it seems we excel at exporting movies that are based on bloody conflicts with our neighbors. 

If there is one thing that Israel is consistently good at, it's fighting with Arabs. How lovely that the world appreciates this and awards us with prizes for this.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post 'Tehran' won an Emmy. But why? appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

StopAntisemitism.org is inviting the public to vote in its third annual competition for the world's "Antisemite of the Year," a title given to the person who cultivated and propagandized the most hatred against Jews in 2021.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

Ten individuals who have been named by the watchdog group as semi-finalists competing for the title. Three finalists will be announced on Dec. 6 with the winner revealed on Dec. 27.

"This award is important because it exposes antisemites who think they can get away with their hate," StopAntisemitism CEO and founder Liora Rez said. "Sadly, we've witnessed a spike in antisemitism this year, but we continue to work relentlessly to call out antisemites and hold them accountable. Our contest is one of the ways to do so."

Previous winners of the award include State University of New York (SUNY) law student Nerdeen Kiswani in 2020 and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) in 2019.

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Watchdog group opens voting for 3rd annual 'Antisemite of the Year' contest appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Israeli American economist Joshua Angrist was awarded Monday the 2021 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences jointly with Canadian and Dutch American economists David Card and Guido Imbens, "for their methodological contributions to the analysis of causal relationships."

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

Angrist worked as a professor at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem between 1995-1996 and 2004-2005. He is currently a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Angrist is the third Israeli to ever win a Nobel Prize in Economics. The first one was Daniel Kahneman in 2002, and the second - Robert Aumann in 2005.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences – the body that awards the prize – said the three have "completely reshaped empirical work in the economic sciences."

BREAKING NEWS:
The 2021 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel has been awarded with one half to David Card and the other half jointly to Joshua D. Angrist and Guido W. Imbens.#NobelPrize pic.twitter.com/nkMjWai4Gn

— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 11, 2021

Unlike the other Nobel prizes, the economics award was not established in the will of Alfred Nobel but by the Swedish central bank in his memory in 1968, with the first winner selected a year later. It is the last prize announced each year.

Last week, the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to journalists Maria Ressa of the Philippines and Dmitry Muratov of Russia for their fight for freedom of expression in countries where reporters have faced persistent attacks, harassment and even murder. Ressa was the only woman honored this year in any category.

The Nobel Prize for literature was awarded to Britain-based Tanzanian writer Abdulrazak Gurnah, who was recognized for his "uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism and the fate of the refugee."

The prize for physiology or medicine went to Americans David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian for their discoveries into how the human body perceives temperature and touch.

Three scientists – Syukuro Manabe, Klaus Hasselmann and Giorgio Parisi – won the physics prize for work that found order in seeming disorder, helping to explain and predict complex forces of nature, including expanding our understanding of climate change.

Benjamin List and David MacMillan won the chemistry prize for finding an easier and environmentally cleaner way to build molecules that can be used to make compounds, including medicines and pesticides.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Israeli-American economist, 2 peers win Nobel Prize appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Tanzanian novelist Abdulrazak Gurnah won the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature for his uncompromising portrayal of the effects of colonialism and the fate of the refugee, the award-giving body said Thursday.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter 

Based in Britain and writing in English, Gurnah joins Nigeria's Wole Soyinka as the only two non-white writers from sub-Saharan Africa ever to win the prestigious literary award. His novels include Paradise – set in colonial East Africa during World War I and short-listed for the Booker Prize for Fiction – and Desertion.

"I dedicate this Nobel Prize to Africa and Africans and to all my readers. Thanks!" Gurnah tweeted after the announcement.

Gurnah left Africa as a refugee in the 1960s amid the persecution of citizens of Arab origin on the Indian Ocean archipelago of Zanzibar, which would unite with the mainland territory Tanganyika to form Tanzania. He was able to return only in 1984, seeing his father shortly before his death.

The post Tanzanian writer wins Nobel Prize for novels on colonialism, migration appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Israel is among the five candidate countries for the prestigious annual International Archaeological Discovery Award "Khaled al-Asaad" for an excavation conducted in the Western Wall Tunnels in Jerusalem, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced Tuesday.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

A dig headed by Israeli archeologists Barak Monnickendam-Givon and Tehila Sadiel discovered a hidden underground complex that experts think was used by the Jews to prepare for religious services during the Second Temple period before it was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.

"We are convinced that everything that now includes the square of the Western Wall was supported by a colonnade," Monnickendam-Givon said. "We will dig further to prove it."

Sadiel added that various subjects were also discovered in the rooms. "We found terracotta crockery, some bases of an oil lamp used to make light, a stone cup exceptional for the period and a fragment of qalal, [which is] a large stone container used for water, perhaps linked to the Jewish practices of the purification ritual".

The international award was named after Syrian archeologist Khaled al-Asaad, who has the head of antiquities at the heritage site of the ancient city of Palmyra, and was publicly beheaded by the Islamic State in 2015 after hiding precious artifacts to prevent them from ending up in the hands of the terrorist group that was known for destroying cultural heritage sites.

Also in the running for the award are Italy, Indonesia, Germany and Egypt. The winner will be chosen based on the number of likes and comments.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Israeli archeologists could win prestigious award over 2nd Temple-era find appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Israel Hayom reporter Dan Lavie was awarded Thursday the B'nai B'rith World Center Award for Journalism Recognizing Excellence in Diaspora Reportage for 2021 for his coverage of challenges facing Diaspora communities, particularly in the year of the coronavirus pandemic.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

The award ceremony was held in Jerusalem and attended, among others, by President Reuven Rivlin and Diaspora Affairs Minister Nachman Shai. 

The prestigious award was conferred by the B'nai B'rith World Center that works to strengthen Israel-Diaspora relations and is considered to be the leading recognition in the Jewish state when it comes to Diaspora Jewry. 

After the outbreak of the pandemic, Lavie created a series of articles entitled "The Jewish world in the age of coronavirus," in which he covered the core issues Jewish communities across the world faced due to the virus, including Jewish education and identity, philanthropy in times of crisis, antisemitism, the changing face of Jewish communities and streams of Orthodoxy, and more. 

Israel Hayom editor-in-chief Boaz Bismuth congratulated Lavie on his win and said the newspaper "strives to support its reporters and give them freedom of action to bring readers the highest quality and the most interesting topics. Dan Lavie is a prime example of quality and excellence. I have no doubt he is a role model for many other reporters." 

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Israel Hayom reporter Dan Lavie awarded prestigious B'nai B'rith prize appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

The winners of the 18 categories in the Ophir Awards were announced on Friday as part of the Israeli Academy of Film and Television ceremony. Ruthy Pribar's Asia won nine awards, among them for Best Picture, and will represent Israel for Best International Feature at the 93rd Academy Awards ceremony, currently slated to take place in April.

  Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

In a zoom interview following the Ophir Awards Haas said, "It is so exciting, I am so happy and grateful. This year has been full of surprises, in all kinds of ways, for everyone. There have been many challenges, worries, and lack of control. At the same time, I cannot deny that some beautiful things have happened in the most unusual ways that I am still trying to wrap my head around.

"I remember when I read the script for Asia, I wept, which I don't usually do. The film touches on death and loss, but it is a film about life, relationships, and kindness, which is the most beautiful way to create art. I fell in love at first sight, with the story and the characters."

The post 'Asia' headed to represent Israel in Oscars appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.