“It is a great honor for the entire Jewish people to celebrate his
achievements, his commitment to improving the world, and in particular
his city: New York. We are certain that his selection as the recipient
of the Genesis Prize will serve as an inspiration to young Jews and
others across the globe,” Nobel Prize laureate Eli Wiesel said – even though Bloomberg is a
billionaire who essentially bought his way into office by spending
millions of dollars to crush opponents and is decidedly unpopular among
the young Jews Wiesel and the others involved in the selection process
claim they want to inspire.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg
Bloomberg Wins Jewish “Nobel Prize”
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is the first ever recipient of Israel’s $1 million Genesis Prize, the Associated Press reported today.
The award is commonly known as the ‘Jewish Nobel Prize’ – or more derisively, as the Nobelovitch.
The prize foundation said it gave the award to Bloomberg for his long record of philanthropy and public service.
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, will officially award the prize to Bloomberg early next year in Jerusalem after his third term as New York City's mayor has ended.
“I got a call from Netanyahu this morning to congratulate me, and we’ll work out a date when I can be in Israel to accept it,” Bloomberg – who said he was honored to receive the prize – reportedly told a news conference in New York today.
Bloomberg is also expected to announce at that time that he is donating the prize money to a charity or charities.
“I want to use it to do something that will foster relationships in a very difficult part of the world,” he said, noting that he had discussed possible charitable projects with Netanyahu earlier today.
There were 200 other nominees for the prize.
The prize – administered by a partnership including the Prime Minister’s office, the quasi-governmental Jewish Agency headed by Natan Sharansky, and the Genesis Philanthropy Group – was reportedly established to “recognize exceptional human beings who, through their outstanding achievement, come to represent a fundamental value of the Jewish people — a commitment to the betterment of mankind.”
The prize selection committee included Nobel Prize laureate Elie Wiesel, who lauded Bloomberg.
“It is a great honor for the entire Jewish people to celebrate his achievements, his commitment to improving the world, and in particular his city: New York. We are certain that his selection as the recipient of the Genesis Prize will serve as an inspiration to young Jews and others across the globe,” Wiesel said – even though Bloomberg is a billionaire who essentially bought his way into office by spending millions of dollars to crush opponents and is decidedly unpopular among the young Jews Wiesel and the others involved in the selection process claim they want to inspire.