On Independence Day, the Israel Prize is presented at a state ceremony in Jerusalem. The esteemed prize, established in 1953 and the most prestigious civilian honor bestowed in Israel, is awarded annually to persons or institutions for excellence in academics, culture or service to the state. Honorees are selected by a committee of judges who then pass on their recommendations to the minister of education.
Among the 14 winners this year are Nachum Kedar, Ruth Lapidoth and Ya'akov Blidstein, all leading scholars whose contributions might have otherwise gone unappreciated by the general public.
YA'AKOV BLIDSTEIN
Award in Jewish Thought
Academics can sometimes feel that the work they produce has no effect on people. But Professor Ya'akov (Gerald) Blidstein recalls one piece that actually had a concrete physical impact.
In 1979, Blidstein wrote that "the Jew who loves his people wishes to experience its fullness, and the adventure, the challenge, of Jewish fullness today is in Israel. The Jew who identifies with his people wishes to be at the cutting edge of its history and that, today, is in Israel."
Not long after it was published, someone approached Blidstein and said that he had come to Israel after reading that article. The two American transplants remain friends to this day.
However it is not for his aliyah activities that Blidstein is being awarded the Israel Prize. Rather it is because he is considered one of the founders of the field of Jewish political thought. His work in rabbinic thought from the medieval to the modern period, according to the citation by the Ministry of Education, "has made ... a radical breakthrough in research into the halachic philosophy of Maimonides and its influence throughout the generations. In his very accurate analysis of the Halacha, he reveals its philosophical foundations and deepens our understanding of pure philosophy."
Nonetheless, for Blidstein, news about receiving his Israel Prize came as a surprise. It came as such a surprise that he almost tried to pass it up.
Blidstein knew that he was a candidate in a general way, but when acting Education Minister Meir Shitrit called, "at first it didn't even occur to me he would talk about this." In fact, Blidstein thought he was calling about something else and, wanting to get off the phone, considered telling him, "I'm not the person you need." Then Blidstein realized what the true purpose of the call was.
Born in Brooklyn, Blidstein was educated in New York and received his Ph.D from Yeshiva University. Afterwards, he spent two years teaching at McGill in Montreal. From there, he immigrated to Israel and accepted a post at Ben Gurion University in 1972. Apart from one year in Tel Aviv, he has been at BGU ever since. "You might say it's a Ben Gurion prize in a certain way," he says.
But not only Ben Gurion folk were pleased for Blidstein. Since word got out, he has received personal congratulations from a wide world of acquaintances, some of whom he had not heard from in decades.
For him that was a very positive experience, one that may have been as rewarding as the prize itself. Blidstein even wonders aloud whether a prize like this is the "only aspect of life that Israeli society can come together about."
He says this in jest. About Israel he says, "There is much more to be applauded than is generally acknowledged or publicized. There are lots of good and noble things going on that just don't get the attention they deserve."
Even though the Dodgers are long gone from his native Brooklyn, Blidstein maintains his American citizenship and still feels a loyalty to it and its language.
But unfortunately for readers of English, most of Blidstein's scholarly works are published only in Hebrew. Of those available in English, he recommends his Honor Thy Father and Mother and In the Rabbis' Garden: Adam and Eve in the Midrash.
The father of 6 children and 15 grandchildren, Blidstein is currently at work on a book on the death of Moses.
NACHUM KEDAR
Award in Agriculture
Professor Nachum Kedar is often credited with inventing the cherry tomato.
He explains, however, that that is "not really the right way to call it." More accurately put, Dr. Kedar's work in genetics and breeding took the pre-existing cherry tomato and lengthened its shelf life enough for it to become a viable commercial product - his work made the cherry tomato available for mass consumption.
The various tomato seeds developed by Kedar and his team at Hebrew University, in collaboration with Israeli seed companies Hazera and Agridera, now constitute a substantial portion of the tomato seeds sold and the tomato fruits consumed worldwide.
Kedar says that he was "very happy, naturally," on being awarded the Israel Prize. "I have been working many years for that," he adds. This could be considered something of an understatement considering his life long commitment to the State of Israel.
Born in Vienna, Kedar was early on a member of the Zionist youth organization Maccabi Hatzair. Finishing high school, he went to agriculture school in Denmark, "before the Germans made trouble to all the Jews in Denmark," and afterward to Sweden. Throughout those years, "when in Denmark and Sweden, I wanted to study agriculture because it might be very important for the future of Israel."
Kedar made aliya in 1950 and, after several years at the Weizmann Institute, went for his Ph.D to Hebrew University, where he has been ever since.
Kedar's work in tomatoes began on a trip to Thailand where he went to help some Israeli farm advisers who were having trouble with tomato crops. The trouble, Kedar learned, was that in Thailand (like elsewhere) many tomatoes were picked when they were green. This allows more time to sell and transport them but it also compromises the taste.
Upon his return to Israel he recalls, "I started asking myself why you can only keep a tomato for a few days. Then I found some genes which are called long-shelf-life genes. . . and we started breeding."
