General, leading rabbi win Israel Prize for lifetime achievement

Major General Doron Almog (res.) and national-religious Rabbi Eli Sadan are named as this year’s winners of the Israel Prize for lifetime achievement, for their contribution to society and the state, Israel Radio says.

Explaining the decision, the award committee says that after Almog devoted much of his life to the state through his military service, he then revolutionized society’s treatment of people with special needs. The panel cites Almog’s initiative to establish a unique village for adults with cerebral palsy, which it says offers a framework that allows people to live meaningful and dignified lives.

Regarding Rabbi Sadan, the prize committee writes that Bnei David, the military preparatory program (mechina) he founded, was a breakthrough in the integration of the national-religious public in the army.