Israeli Philanthropist Doubles Natalie Portman’s ‘Jewish Nobel’ Prize to $2M

December 21, 2017 | Israeli-South African philanthropist and entrepreneur Morris Kahn announced this week that he was donating an additional $1 million to the Genesis Prize, dubbed the “Jewish Nobel,” awarded to US-Israeli actress Natalie Portman for 2018. The Genesis Prize, established in 2012, recognizes individuals “who have attained excellence and international renown in their fields, and whose actions and achievements express a commitment to Jewish values, the Jewish community and the State of Israel.” Last month, Portman became the 5th Genesis Prize Laureate and announced she would give the money to organizations promoting women’s rights and equality in the educational, political and health spheres. Kahn said in a press statement that he was “happy to have the opportunity to support Natalie Portman in the noble mission to which she has devoted herself.” Portman said she was grateful to Kahn “for his incredible support of the 2018 Genesis Prize theme” and said his “generosity once again reinforces how relevant and important the issue of women’s equality is today – in Israel, in the US and beyond.” Stan Polovets, chairman and co-founder of the Genesis Prize Foundation, said, “The bonus will significantly increase the ability of Genesis Prize Foundation’s projects to influence the advancement of equality for women.”