Nefesh B’Nefesh Announces Recipients
of Inaugural ‘Bonei Zion’ Prize

Prizes awarded to Anglo Olim who have made a significant contribution to the State of Israel
Jerusalem, Israel, January 13, 2014 - Nefesh B’Nefesh announced today the six recipients of its newly-launched Bonei Zion Prize (www.boneizion.org.il), an award recognizing outstanding Anglo Olim - veteran and recent - who encapsulate the spirit of modern-day Zionism by contributing in a significant way towards the State of Israel.

Over 200 Olim from English-speaking countries – including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, UK, USA and Canada - were nominated for the Nefesh B’Nefesh Bonei Zion 2014 prize. The prize recipients were chosen by a prestigious panel of committee members in the following categories: Science & Medicine; Education; Community & Non-Profit; Entrepreneurship & Technology; Culture, Sports & Art; and IDF & National Service Young Leadership. Each of the winners will be awarded with $10,000 in a special dedicated ceremony that will take place in the next two months in Jerusalem.

“It was truly inspiring to see the remarkable number of Anglo Olim who are making a significant impact on the country. The fact that the prize committee had such great difficulty choosing the winners from so many impressive candidates, is a testament to the caliber of the nominees and the immeasurable impact that Anglo Olim are making in Israel”, Rabbi Fass added.

The recipients of the 2014 Nefesh B’Nefesh Bonei Zion Prize are:

Entrepreneurship and Technology: Yosef Abramowitz (USA, 2006), CEO and Co-Founder of Energiya Global Capital and Co-Founder of the Arava Power Company. Abramowitz is a Nobel Prize-nominated educator and activist-turned-solar energy entrepreneur and the founding father of Israel’s $20 billion solar market, along with his partners David Rosenblatt of New Jersey and Ed Hofland of Kibbutz Ketura. Abramowitz is Israel’s premier solar energy pioneer, who continues to develop Israel’s solar power market while also exporting his values of clean energy. Abramowitz embodies positive and powerful Hasbara as his effort showcase Israel – and by extension the Jewish people – as a compassionate driven provider of renewable energy development for the betterment of the world.
Community and Non-Profit: Joseph Gitler (USA, 2000), Founder and Chairman of Leket Israel, a national food bank which has made a profound impact on the State of Israel and its residents by collecting food soon to be discarded from farmers, manufacturers and caterers and distributes them to the needy.

Education: Rabbanit Malke Bina (USA, 1971), Founder and Chancellor of "Matan", a revolutionary women's learning center in Israel.

Science and Medicine: Professor Jefferey Hausdorff (USA, 2000), Professor at Tel Aviv University and Director of the Neurodynamics and Gait Research Laboratory at the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center.

Culture, Sports and Arts: Yaakov Kirschen (USA, 1972), Creator of “Dry Bones.”
IDF and National Service Young Leadership: Lt. Nira Lee (USA, 2010), Head of Hasbara at the headquarters of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT).

Lifetime Achievement: Professor Shimon Glick (USA, 1974), Professor and Dean Emeritus of the Faculty of Health Sciences at Ben Gurion University.

About Nefesh B’Nefesh (www.nbn.org.il):
Founded in 2002, Nefesh B’Nefesh in cooperation with the Israeli government and The Jewish Agency for Israel, is dedicated to revitalizing Aliyah from North America and the UK by removing or minimizing the financial, professional, logistical and social obstacles of Aliyah. To date, Nefesh B'Nefesh has assisted over 38,000 newcomers to Israel.
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By Nathan Jeffay,The Jewish Chronicle
Israel’s foremost green energy pioneer is visiting London next week, where he will propose, among other innovations, a “renewable energy” solution to the Iranian crisis.
“Nuclear power is the power of war and solar power is the power of peace,” said Yosef Abramowitz, who has set up massive solar fields in Israel’s Negev desert.
“If the Iranian government says it is concerned about having electricity for its people, no one so far has either called its bluff or helped it towards cheap energy that is greener.”
Mr Abramowitz will argue at a meeting in Parliament that the West should try to end the nuclear crisis with Iran by offering to help it develop large-scale green energy capabilities.
He acknowledged that his idea is unorthodox, but said he thinks there is a “diplomatic opening” for it.
Mr Abramowitz was invited to the UK by Israel’s London ambassador Daniel Taub, and will meet David King, Foreign Secretary William Hague’s new special representative on climate change. He will also address a round-table breakfast organised by the Anglo-Israel Association.
Mr Abramowitz considers London the “epicentre” for green innovation, and wants to propose a “strategic alliance” between the UK and Israel to take sustainable energy infrastructure to poor countries, simultaneously boosting economies and helping the environment.
In this plan, British and Israeli companies would co-operate on green energy projects, with state support.
American-born Mr Abramowitz set up the first large-scale solar field in Israel in 2010.
Since 2010, he has taken his business global. His company, Energiya Global Capital, is developing solar projects in countries including South Africa, Romania, Cyprus and the Galapagos Islands.
When it becomes active this summer, his company operation in Rwanda will provide seven per cent of the country’s power.
He said that, when he addresses the UK Jewish community, he will propose a change in investment patterns. “I want to challenge the community to start thinking about ‘impact investment’ in the state of Israel,” he explained, adding that he is not talking about “something speculative or risky” but rather about projects that will make money while doing good in social and/or environmental spheres.
He will suggest that ideal investments should, like his power projects in poor African countries, have a “triple bottom line” — they should make money as businesses, have a positive impact and create goodwill towards Israel.