Moskowitz Prize for Zionism, established by Irving and Cherna Moskowitz, is an award for activity that promotes Zionism.[1] It has been granted every year since 2008 to three winners in a ceremony which takes place on Jerusalem Day, in the City of David. The prize extent to each winner is US$50,000.
| Moskowitz Prize for Zionism | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | personal contribution to Zionism |
| Country | Israel |
| Presented by | Jewish National Fund |
| First award | 2008 |
The prize founder, billionaire Irving Moskowitz was an American businessman and a right-wing activist who supported Israeli settlements in the West Bank. His wife Cherna Moskowitz chairs the prize judge committee. The members of the committee are public personalities from Israel and abroad, whom amongst are Avigdor Kahalani and Moshe Arens. Yisrael Aumann serves as a special advisor of the prize committee.
The Declared Aim of the Prize:
The need of this special prize arose because of the feeling, shared by many, that the true heroes of Zionism of current Israel - these who are known by the public and those who move away from spotlights, do not achieve the establishment recognition and public esteem they deserve. Subject of discussion are Israeli men and women who work out of feeling of personal responsibility, vision and feeling of national errand, each one in his own zone, sometimes while sacrificing their personal welfare and even while risking their safety.
Listed below are recipients of the main prize, known as the "Lion of Zion" award.[2] Another award, called "Spirit of Zion", was given to several individuals between the years 2013-2016, "for new initiatives, [to] young Israelis with vision who recognize the need to stand up and be counted. "[3]
Winners
edit| Year | Laureate | Notable Contribution / Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Rabbi David Fendel | Head of the Hesder Yeshiva in Sderot |
| Moshe Moshkowitz | Among the renovators of the Jewish settlement in Gush Etzion | |
| Ran Pekker | Fighter pilot and founder of the Tzahala Project for educating youth in good citizenship | |
| 2009 | Noam Arnon | A leader of the Jewish community in Hebron |
| Sammy Bar Lev | Early Golan Heights settler; founder of the city and Israeli settlement of Katzrin | |
| Ronit Shuker | A founder of the Shilo Group; owner of an olive press in the outpost of Achya | |
| 2010 | Rabbi Yoel Schwartz | A founder of the Nahal Haredi Project and its spiritual authority |
| Aharon Davidi | A founder of the Paratroopers Brigade; Main Infantry Corps and Paratroops Officer; co-founder of Sar El | |
| Anita Tucker | A leader of the Gush Katif settlement community | |
| 2011 | Major General (res.) Meir Dagan | Former Director of the Mossad |
| Rabbi Chanan Porat | A founder of the Gush Emunim movement | |
| Rabbi Yehoshua Fass | Co-founder and CEO of the Nefesh B'Nefesh organization | |
| 2012 | Dr. Yitzhak Glick | Innovator in Israeli emergency medicine |
| Nitsana Darshan-Leitner | Founder of Shurat HaDin (Israel Law Center) | |
| Zvi Slonim | A founder and leader of the Gush Emunim movement | |
| 2013 | Yigal Cohen-Orgad | Chancellor of Ariel University and former Finance Minister |
| Rabbi Moshe Levinger | A pioneering figure of Gush Emunim and the Jewish community in Hebron | |
| Dr. Zvi Zameret | Educator and prominent leader in Zionist education | |
| 2014 | Michael Freund | Founder of Shavei Israel, an organization locating "lost tribes" of Israel |
| Rabbi Yosef Zvi Rimon | Founder of JobKatif, providing employment resources post-disengagement | |
| Dr. Gabriel Barkay | Archaeologist specializing in the history of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount | |
| 2015 | Yehuda Glick | Activist for human rights and religious freedom on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount |
| Yisrael Harel | Journalist and a founder of the Yesha Council and settlement movement | |
| Yoel Zilberman | Founder of HaShomer HaChadash (The New Guardian), protecting agricultural lands in the Galilee and Negev | |
| 2016 | Binyamin Elon | Politician, rabbi, and former Minister of Tourism |
| Caroline Glick | Israeli-American author, columnist, and journalist | |
| Yehuda Harel | Former politician and member of the Knesset for The Third Way party | |
| 2017 | Moshe Arens | Aeronautical engineer, diplomat, and former Likud defense minister |
| 2019 | Maor Farid | Researcher, social activist, and author |
| Ruthi Antohon-Tortsky | Author and social activist focused on integration and community welfare |
References
edit- ↑ "The Moskowitz Prize for Zionism 2017 – Women In Green". Women In Green. May 16, 2017. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
- ↑ "פרס מוסקוביץ' לציונות – Lion of Zion Winners". Archived from the original on 2015-02-12. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
- ↑ "פרס מוסקוביץ' לציונות – Spirit of Zion Award Winners". Archived from the original on 2015-02-12. Retrieved 2025-07-15.