Among the winners are Prof. Haim Sider, the well-known cancer researcher and father of Yosef Sider, and Prof. Raphael Musholm, one of the first cannabis researchers. The award is from the foundation of the Rothschild family and the philanthropist.
Five Israeli researchers from the fields of exact sciences and humanities who won the Rothschild Prize will receive it in the capacity of Lord Rothschild at a ceremony in the Knesset at the end of March, in the presence of Education Minister Gideon Sa'ar.
The five winners are:
Prof. Haim Syder from the Department of Cell Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, who made a decisive contribution to the understanding of the control mechanisms of the hereditary material, and to a deeper understanding of how healthy and diseased cells develop. Prof. Cedar, who also won the Wolf Prize and the Emet Prize, is the father of the director Yosef Cedar, whose film "Footnote" was nominated at the last Oscar, and dealt with the family tension that arose around the awarding of the Israel Prize.
Prof. Raphael Meshoul from the School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, one of the first cannabis researchers, who broke new horizons in understanding the chemistry of natural substances that affect human behavior and are found in the plant.
Prof. Gil Kalai from the Institute of Mathematics, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem for his groundbreaking work in combinatorics, which spans all areas of combinatorics and has profound implications in other areas of pure and applied mathematics, as well as in theoretical areas of computer science.
Prof. Margalit Finkelberg from the Department of Classical Studies, Tel Aviv University, who researched the ancient roots of classical Greek culture, for her part in deciphering the ancient script of Linear A, and for her work warning about the birth of the concept of fiction in ancient Greece.
Prof. Moshe Idel from the Department of Israel Thought, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, for his groundbreaking research in the Jewish secret theory and his decisive influence on the field in particular, and on Jewish studies in general.
The Rothschild Prize from the foundation of the Rothschild family and the generous benefactor has been awarded once every two years for 53 years to Israeli scientists and researchers. The award is part of a tradition of supporting academic excellence in Israel and among the winners in recent years are two Nobel Prize winners Prof. Ada Yonat (2006) and Prof. Dan Shechtman (1990) as well as the current president of the Israel National Academy of Sciences, Prof. Ruth Arnon (1998) , Prof. Ephraim Katzir (1960), Prof. Gershom Shulman (1961), Prof. Yigal Yadin (1963), Prof. Yuval Naaman (1967), Prof. Shmuel Eisenstadt (1969), Prof. Michael Bruno (1973), Prof. Alexander Lubotsky (2002), Prof. David Kashdan (2010) and Prof. Ariel Rubinstein (2010)
The festive ceremony will take place as mentioned on 25.3.12 in the Knesset building at 16:00 p.m.
* See the brochure about the winners. The photos were taken by Yorai Lieberman.
