Four Hebrew U. Researchers to be Awarded 2011 EMET Prize

Four Hebrew U. Researchers to be Awarded 2011 EMET Prize

Jerusalem -  Four Hebrew University researchers are to be awarded the EMET Prize, one of Israel’s most prestigious annual awards. The prize committee, chaired by former Supreme Court justice Judge Jacob Kedmi and comprising representatives of the prime minister and of the A.M.N. Foundation for the Advancement of Science, Art and Culture in Israel, has announced that the prize is being awarded to:

Prof. Gershon Ben-Shakhar, the Samuel Sturman Professor Emeritus of Psychology in the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences. Prof. Ben-Shakhar is being awarded the prize in the category of social sciences in recognition of his work in psychophysiological detection and the extent to which information is known to be valid and reliable using psychological measurements. Prof. Ben-Shakhar is a former dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and a former pro-rector; he is a board member of the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace

Prof. Berachyahu Lifshitz, the Henry J. & Fannie Harkavy Professor of Comparative Law, and Prof. Eliav Shochetman, the Walter E. Meyer Professor Emeritus of Law and Criminal Justice, both of the Faculty of Law. Profs. Lifshitz and Shochetman are being awarded the prize in the category of the humanities, for their extensive achievements in Jewish law. Prof. Lifshitz is being recognized for his studies of legal bodies during the Talmudic era and in which he has combined the fields of law, Talmud and linguistics. Prof. Shochetman is recognized for his broad knowledge and analytical ability as shown in the numerous books, articles and studies in the fields of general and Jewish law he has published. Prof. Lifshitz heads the Institute for Research in Jewish Law, chairs the academic committee of the Harry and Michael Sacher Institute for Legislative Research and Comparative Law and is a former dean of the Faculty of Law.

Prof. Saharon Shelah, the Professor Abraham Robinson Professor of Mathematical Logic in the Einstein Institute of Mathematics, Faculty of Science. Prof. Shelah is recognized as a world leader in the field of mathematical logic and its use in diverse areas of classical mathematics, with his broad-ranging and in-depth work of over 40 years significantly contributing to the reassessment of model theory. Prof. Shelah is an Israel, Wolf and Bolyai Janos Prize laureate and was the inaugural recipient of the prestigious Erdos Prize.

Israel’s highly prestigious EMET Prize in art, science and cultures is awarded annually by the prime minister and the A.M.N. Foundation in recognition of excellence in academia and professional achievements of far-reaching influence that constitute a significant contribution to society. This year, the one-million dollar prize is being awarded to eight people. The A.M.N. Foundation was founded in 1999 by a group of Latin American friends of Israel.

EMET Prize laureates include Nobel Prize laureates Prof. Robert J. Aumann of the Hebrew University, Hebrew University alumni Prof. Aaron Ciechanover and Prof. Ada Yonath, and former Supreme Court president Prof. Aharon Barak.