Minister of Education Yoav Kisch announced today (Tuesday) that Nina Avidar Wiener and Ronny Douek have been awarded the Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement. Both have dedicated decades to strengthening Israeli society and have now received formal recognition for their significant contributions to education, equality, and social progress.
The Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement
The Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement is one of the country’s highest honors, awarded annually to individuals who have made a profound and lasting impact on Israeli society. Recipients are recognized for their contributions across fields such as education, culture, social welfare, and national resilience, reflecting a lifetime of dedication to the public good.
Empowering a Generation Through Educational Opportunity
Nina Avidar Wiener, co-founder of the ISEF Foundation, has devoted her life to supporting students from Israel’s social and economic periphery. For more than 45 years, the foundation she helped establish has provided financial aid to thousands of young men and women, enabling them to pursue higher education while advancing both personal and societal excellence.
In its statement, the prize committee remarked:
“Avidar Wiener’s initiative was born from a deep awareness of the hardship many young people face, and her efforts have helped transform Israeli society.”
The committee also praised her humble and hands-on approach to fundraising, her consistent work in building support systems, and her investment in values-based programs such as Ambassadors, which promotes the fight against racism and antisemitism.
Ronny Douek and His Mission to Meet National Challenges
Ronny Douek, a social entrepreneur and visionary leader, has led a broad range of impactful initiatives over the past three decades, affecting the lives of hundreds of thousands of Israelis. From supporting immigrants from Ethiopia and the Caucasus, to combating violence, drug abuse, and employment inequality—and more recently, providing urgent emotional support for children following the October 7 attacks—Douek sees every national challenge as a personal calling.
The prize committee emphasized:
“Douek brought together hundreds of private companies for trailblazing social projects, proving that cross-sector partnerships are key to driving change.”
Among his many initiatives are Shitufim, Zionism 2000, Our Children’s Resilience, V’Shamarta, and Red Lines—each born of a keen awareness of societal needs and developed into practical, impactful solutions.
