3 professors from HU will receive the Israel Prize on Israel’s Independence Day
Regarded as the State of Israel’s highest honor, the prize is traditionally awarded every year on Independence Day in the presence of the President, the Prime Minister, the Knesset chairperson and the Supreme Court president.
This year, the three Hebrew University recipients are:
Prof. Avishai Margalit
Prof. Margalit is the 2010 recipient of the Israel Prize in philosophy. The Israel Prize committee described him as ”one of the most important philosophers in the State of Israel and one of the most valued in the world today.”
Prof. Margalit majored in economics and philosophy at the Hebrew University. He earned his B.A. in 1963 and his M.A in philosophy in 1965. He received a Ph.D. summa cum laude in 1970 from the Hebrew University. He then returned to the Hebrew University as a lecturer in the department of philosophy, and in 1998, was appointed as the Shulman Professor of Philosophy. He retired from the Hebrew University as a professor emeritus in 2006.
Prof. Yehoshua Kolodny
Prof. Yehoshua Kolodny of the Fredy and Nadine Herrmann Institute of Earth Sciences is the 2010 recipient of the Israel Prize in earth sciences.
The Israel Prize committee selected him for his work in the area of geochemistry and for his outstanding international achievements in his field. He was also cited for his educational activities and for developing a generation of researchers who today can be found in leading academic institutions and research institutes in Israel.
Prof. Kolodny received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in geology at the Hebrew University and earned a doctorate from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1969. Following his return to Israel he served in a number of roles at the Hebrew University.
Prof. Aryeh Levin
Prof. Aryeh Levin from the department for Arabic language and literature is the 2010 recipient of the Israel Prize in linguistics.
Prof. Levin was recognized by the Israel Prize committee for his research into medieval Arabic, especially the writings of Sibawayhi, as well as into Arabic dialects and the heritage of literary and spoken Arabic in different official national frameworks.
Prof. Levin received his Ph.D. from Hebrew University in Arabic language and literature and then held several teaching positions. Over the years, Prof. Levin has held a number of senior positions at the university, including head of the department for Arabic language and literature, head of the Institute of Asian and African Studies, Chair of the Advanced Studies Committee of the Faculty of Humanities, and the Henya Sharef Professor Emeritus in Humanities. He was also a member of the Arabic dialects of the Land of Israel research group.
Five graduates of the Hebrew University will also be receiving the Israel Prize this year. They are: Hanoch Bertov for his contribution to literature; Prof. Avraham Tal for his contribution to the Hebrew language; Aharon Yadlin for his contribution to society and the State of Israel; Prof. Avraham Nitzan for his contribution to chemistry; and Arie Sivan for his contribution to poetry.
