Trump among recipients of Israel Prize, for ‘special contribution to the Jewish people’

US President Donald Trump was awarded the Israel Prize, the country’s highest honor, at the annual Independence Day ceremony in Jerusalem on Wednesday.

Trump was informed in December by Education Minister Yoav Kisch that he would be awarded the prize in the category of “special contribution to the Jewish people.”

Kisch signed an Israel Prize certificate in honor of the US president on Tuesday, declaring in a video sent to the press that he didn’t think there was “any other person who can mark such amazing achievements and a wonderful connection to the Jewish people except for Trump at this time.”

At Wednesday’s ceremony, Kisch said Trump has been a true friend of the Jewish people and Israel for decades, standing uncompromisingly against manifestations of antisemitism.”

“His name will be remembered in the annals of our people,” he declared.

Another notable Israel Prize recipient was legendary visual artist Yaacov Agam, whom the prize committee called “one of the prominent and influential figures in the international and Israeli world of art. His work clearly reflects the spirit of Israeli creativity, innovation, breaking barriers, the connection between tradition and modernity, and a broad universal vision.”

Other winners for contributions to the humanities and the arts were actor Gabi Amrani, anthropologist Joseph Chetrit and historian Billy Melman.

Also receiving the honor was educator Adi Altschuler, for “special contribution to society and the state among young leaders.”

For contributions to the fields of science and mathematics, life science researcher Shulamit Michaeli-Goldberg, psychology professor Micha Popper, earth science researcher Miriam Bar Mateus, mathematician Benjamin Weiss, and chemist Reshef Tena were all awarded the prize.

Lifetime achievement honors were given to children’s nonprofit founder Irit Oren Gunders, Chantal Belzberg of OneFamily, a terror victim aid NGO, and physician Avraham Ribkind of Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem.

On Trump’s award, citing his decision to join Israel in the campaign against Iran earlier this year, Kisch said that “in the last two months, we have all received further tangible proof of the president’s courageous and continuous stand by Israel.”

A highlight reel of Trump’s pro-Israel actions during both terms of his presidency was played at the ceremony, including footage from the announcement of the Abraham Accords in 2020, his speech at the Knesset in October of last year, and his many meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the past decade.

The president is expected to visit Israel in the coming months and will be formally presented with the award at an in-person ceremony then.

Though Kisch has claimed that the honor marks the first time since the founding of the state that the prize is being awarded to a non-Israeli citizen, the 1991 Israel Prize was awarded to non-citizen Zubin Mehta, an Indian conductor who for many years directed the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.

Sam Sokol contributed to this report.