From the Liveblog of
Monday, October 19, 2026
NBN honors ‘exceptional’ English-speaking immigrants for contributions to Israel
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleZev Stub is the Times of Israel's reporter on diaspora affairs and Israeli real estate.
Eight English-speaking immigrants were honored last night for their contributions to Israel at the annual Nefesh B’Nefesh Bonei Zion Prize ceremony.
The honorees included Naomi Stuchiner, founder of Beit Issie Shapiro, recognized for community and nonprofit work; Dr. Philip Klipstein, a senior principal scientist at SCD, for science and medicine; and Rabbanit Chana Henkin, founder and chancellor of Nishmat, for education.
Other recipients were Ami Baran, president of the Israel Athletics Association and CEO of the Israel Softball Association, for culture, arts and sports; Danielle Abraham, executive director of ReGrow Israel, for global impact; and Barak Swarttz, a YouTuber and founder of GRIT for Good, for young leadership.
Former Israeli ambassador to the United States and former strategic affairs minister Ron Dermer received a Special Recognition Award for his decades of diplomatic and strategic work. Prof. Marta Weinstock-Rosin, a pioneering pharmacologist who invented the Alzheimer’s drug Exelon, received the Lifetime Achievement Award.
“Their achievements are a powerful reminder that Aliyah is not just about coming home; it is about taking responsibility for what comes next,” said philanthropist Sylvan Adams, who sponsors the prize and is president of the World Jewish Congress Israel.
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