Israeli Nobel Prize Winners
From 1966 until today, Israel has earned 12 Nobel Prizes: the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1966, two Nobel Peace Prizes in 1978, two Nobel Peace Prizes in 1994, and four Nobel Prizes in Chemistry between 2004 and 2013. Israelis were also twice awarded the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel.
As a general rule, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences waits decades in order to assess the true importance of each major scientific discovery before awarding a Prize. Accordingly, there was a gap of more than 50 years from the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 until the first Nobel Prize in Science was awarded to an Israeli citizen.
As an important aside, and one that we can all take pride in — of the 919 total Nobel Prize winners until 2019, 204 have been Jewish (from either one or both parents). That is 22.2% of all Nobel Prize winners!
E-Learning
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The Human Side of Israel’s Nobelists
Meet Israel’s recent Nobel prize winners in this Times of Israel article titled ‘Lives of struggle, rejection, vindication: The essence of Israel’s ‘Nobelists’’. The article is based on Israeli filmmaker Uri Rosenwaks’s
S.Y. Agnon: Winner of Israel’s First Nobel Prize
In an article from Commentary Magazine titled ‘Filling the Artistic Void’, rabbi and writer Meir Y. Soleveichik discusses the profound and timeless work of the writer who earned Israel its
Ada Yonath: Israel’s First Female Nobelist
Learn how Israeli Nobelist Ada Yonath went from a childhood of intense poverty to an adulthood of innovation and international acclaim in this clip (5:52) from the home of her
Daniel Kahneman On Our Two Systems of Thinking
In this clip (4:22) from British news hub The Guardian, Israeli-American psychologist Daniel Kahneman breaks down the concept of slow and fast thinking and explains why it matters. Simple though
A talk with Robert Aumann
Hear Israeli-American mathematician Robert Aumann speak about the contribution that earned him and Thomas Schelling 2005’s Nobel Prize in Economics in this clip (2:41) from the official YouTube channel of
Robert Aumann: If You Want Peace, Prepare For War
In this clip (2:42), Israeli-American Nobel prize winner Robert Aumann explains what mathematics and game theory have to do with nuclear weapons, the Cold War, and the “amazing sixty years” between
Israel’s First Nobel Prize in Science
This clip (3:18) from Haifa’s Technion Institute introduces Israel’s first Nobel prize winners in science: Avram Hershko and Aaron Ciechanover. They were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2004 along
A talk with Dan Shechtman
In this clip (3:53), hear about how Dan Shechtman, Israeli winner of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, came to discover quasicrystals, as well as the vehement opposition he faced
Dan Shechtman reminisces about his early years
Israeli Nobel prize-winning scientist Dan Shechtman sits down with 21see and reminisces about his early years in this clip (2:16). His passion is contagious as he recalls what moved and
Celebrating Michael Levitt’s Nobel prize
This video clip (5:33) follows Israeli-American-British biophysicist Michael Levitt’s emotionally-charged morning on the day of the announcement that he was one of three winners of 2013’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Hershko and Ciechanover Explain The Ubiquitin System
Take a user-friendly visual tour of the discovery that won Israelis Aaron Ciechanover and Avram Hershko the 2004 Nobel Prize in Chemistry in this excerpt (2:50) from the YES docuseries “The
Meet Nobelists Arieh Warshel and Michael Levitt
Get a behind-the-scenes glimpse at scientists Arieh Warshel and Michael Levitt in this excerpt (3:53) from “The Nobelists,” a YES documentary about Israel’s Nobel prize winners. Learn why Warshel loves Pac-Man,
Arieh Warshel explains his prize-winning work
In this brief clip (1:43) from the University of Southern California, renowned Israeli biochemist and biophysicist Arieh Warshel explains in simple terms the scientific research that earned him the Nobel
Begin on Shared Nobel Prize with Sadat
Hear Menachem Begin‘s public response to having been announced as one of the two winners of 1978’s Nobel Peace Prize in this news clip (1:08) from the AP Archive. Begin
The Thousand Faces of Menachem Begin
Meet the many personas that former prime minister Menachem Begin hid behind during his younger years in this short clip (0:43). Although he would later go on to become one
Rabin, Peres, and Arafat Share 1994 Peace Prize
This news clip (2:14) from the AP Archive covers the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony and some of the aftermath faced by its winners—Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Israeli Foreign
Be My Friend for Peace, the Remix
This techno mashup by Tel Aviv-based artist Noy Alooshe (2:30) re-cuts famous words spoken by late Israeli Nobel prize-winning politician Shimon Peres in his bid for peace. In 1994, then-Foreign Minister
President Clinton Remembers Yitzhak Rabin
Former President Bill Clinton has a surprising response when asked to recall his toughest moment as president in this clip (2:43) from the Queen Latifah Show. Learn about the warm personal
A Talk With Aaron Ciechanover
Renowned Israeli biologist Aaron Ciechanover explains his research in protein degradation in this clip (2:19) from Israel’s official YouTube channel. Along with fellow Israeli laureate Avram Hershko and American laureate