Executive Director José Luis Castro represented The Union as one of 400 invited guests at the inaugural presentation of the Genesis Prize in Jerusalem on Thursday, 22 May. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented the US $1 million award to American philanthropist Michael Bloomberg at the ceremony.
The Genesis Prize, endowed by the Genesis Philanthropy Group, has been created to recognise outstanding individuals who have attained excellence and international renown in their chosen professional fields, and whose actions, in addition to their achievements, embody the character of the Jewish people through commitment to Jewish values, the Jewish community and/or to the State of Israel.
Mr Bloomberg was chosen from over 200 nominees around the world because of his dedication to public service and his philanthropic legacy. The founder and owner of Bloomberg LP, the world’s leading financial news and information company, Mr Bloomberg also served for 11 years as the 108th Mayor of New York City. Bloomberg Philanthropies, which encompasses all of his charitable activities, distributed $452 million in 2013 alone to support public health, the environment, government innovation, the arts and education. The funds from the Genesis Prize will also be donated to a philanthropic cause.
The award programme included remarks by both Mr. Bloomberg and Natan Sharansky, the prominent Israeli politician and author, as well as a performance by Grammy award-winning pianist Evgeny Kissin. U.S. television personality Jay Leno served as the official emcee for the gala event.
“I was delighted to represent The Union and to convey our congratulations to Mr Bloomberg at this special event,” said Mr Castro. “His extraordinary generosity to The Union and many other organizations has changed the playing field for underfunded public health issues, especially tobacco control, and has contributed to saving the lives of millions of people worldwide.”