(Oct. 19, 2026 / JNS)
Eight outstanding Jewish immigrants to Israel from several English-speaking countries were honored on Sunday evening at a Nefesh B’Nefesh event at the Jerusalem Theater, recognizing their exceptional achievements and significant contributions to the State of Israel, the organizers said in a statement.
The 12th Annual Nefesh B’Nefesh Sylvan Adams Bonei Zion Prize ceremony was held on Yom HaAliyah, an Israeli national day recognizing the contributions of immigrants to Israeli society.
The Special Recognition Award was presented to former Israeli ambassador to the United States and former strategic affairs minister Ron Dermer, in recognition of his decades of public service and contribution to Israel’s diplomatic and strategic landscape.
The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to professor Marta Weinstock-Rosin, a pioneering pharmacologist and inventor of the groundbreaking Alzheimer’s drug Exelon.
According to Nefesh B’Nefesh, her decades of research and innovation have had a profound global impact on neuroscience and medicine, representing the extraordinary influence immigrants have made both within Israel and around the world.
The six remaining honorees were:
- Naomi Stuchiner, founder of Beit Issie Shapiro in the field of Community & Non-Profit;
- Dr. Philip Klipstein, senior principal scientist in the R&D Division at Israeli firm SCD (Semi-Conductor Devices), in the field of Science & Medicine;
- Rabbanit Chana Henkin, founder and chancellor of Nishmat in the field of Education;
- Ami Baran, president of the Israel Athletics Association and CEO of the Israel Softball Association in the field of Culture, Arts & Sports;
- Danielle Abraham, executive director of ReGrow Israel in the field of Global Impact;
- Barak Swarttz, a YouTuber and founder of GRIT for Good in the field of Young Leadership.
“Israel’s single greatest strength is its people. We are a nation of immigrants, some recent, others whose ancestors came to Israel decades ago. Each of us who chooses to build his or her life here is helping to build the nation itself,” said Sylvan Adams, philanthropist and president of the World Jewish Congress Israel.
Immigration to the Jewish state “is an act of conviction, a decision to invest your future in the future of the Jewish people,” the statement continued.
The recipients were selected by a distinguished panel of committee members, with the Bonei Zion Prize sponsored by Adams, who immigrated to Israel from Canada a decade ago.
Nefesh B’Nefesh is a nonprofit that promotes, encourages and facilitates immigration to Israel of members of the Jewish community from the United States and Canada.