The Rothschild Prize

The Rothschild Prizes 2022 were awarded on 27 November at a ceremony attended by several hundred people at the Knesset. This year’s Prizes were awarded in recognition of outstanding achievement, breakthrough or discovery in the Social Sciences, Jewish Studies and Humanities.

In her speech at the ceremony, chair of the Yad Hanadiv Board of Trustees, The Hon. Hannah Rothschild, emphasized the timely impact of the Prize recipients’ research.

‘There was a sensible tendency during the pandemic years to view science as "an exit strategy” from that crisis. This was certainly true for the pandemic, but it seems to me that it is no less true for the many social, political and other challenges the world faces today. Solutions to these challenges require intense study of all that is human. So, this year’s Rothschild Prizes in the Humanities and the Social Sciences come at an especially opportune moment', she said.

Read the entire speech here.

The winners are:

Nira Liberman – Social Sciences (Psychology, Tel Aviv University)

Nira Liberman developed the highly influential construal level theory, which explores the uniquely human cognitive ability to imagine oneself in the future, in remote locations, with unfamiliar people, and in hypothetical situations. Her theory has had a powerful impact on psychology, neuroscience, behavioral economics, linguistics, philosophy, and public policy. 

David Weisburd – Social Sciences (Criminology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)

David Weisburd’s research has been pivotal in developing successful evidence-based crime policies worldwide. He developed a breakthrough in criminology by focusing on the importance of geographic micro-places (“hot spots”) for understanding and prevention of crime. He has shown that crime concentrates in consistent ways within cities as a result of specific social and micro-level factors. 

Ruth HaCohen – Humanities (Musicology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)

Ruth Cohen’s study of ‘sound history’ –specifically the definition of Jewish music as ‘noise’ by Christians in early modern Europe – has irreversibly changed the ways and the scope in which we think about and react to music. She has expanded the discipline of musicology in relation to cognitive processes, politics, philosophy, and a wide-ranging, humanistic cultural aesthetics.

Jeremy Cohen – Jewish Studies (Jewish History, Tel Aviv University)

Jeremy Cohen’s wide-ranging and innovative research has uncovered a shared, complex cultural language of Jews and Christians in pre-modern Europe. His work has shown that Jewish-Christian relations must be seen against the background of medieval religion, society, and culture generally and has thus led to a richer, more integrated understanding of the pre-modern era and, specifically, to a deeper understanding of key phases in the experience of the Jews in Europe.