Israel Prize

"Prof. Schwartz established new norms and research methods in various areas of the study of Jewish thought," noted the members of the award committee headed by Prof. Zeev Gries. Other committee members are Prof. Amira Eran, Prof. Ze'ev Harvey, and Prof. Menachem Kellner, who stated, "Prof. Schwartz's essays map the philosophical circles operated in Spain, Provence, and Byzantium in the late Middle Ages. His research follows the history, ideas, and groups of thinkers with a distinct Gothic common denominator. Particularly notable is Schwartz's emphasis on the theological dimension in religious Zionist thought and its valuable contribution to studying the place of music in Jewish thought."

Prof. Schwartz was born in Haifa in 1961, the only child of Holocaust survivors. During his prolific academic career, he authored some 20 books and dozens of articles, focusing on different periods of Jewish thought, from the Middle Ages through modernity. Schwartz is currently studying Jewish thought in Byzantium in the late Middle Ages and is conducting a phenomenological study of religious Zionist thought in its various forms.

Among his current and past positions: Head of the Warhaftig Institute for the Study of Religious Zionism, head of the the Unit for Interdisciplinary Studies, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, Chair of the Department of Philosophy, head of the Interdisciplinary Program for Contemporary Judaism, and Chair of the Department of Music, at Bar-Ilan University. In the past, Schwartz received the EMET Prize for the Study of Jewish thought and other awards.

The Israel Prize is the country’s most prestigious award given to Israelis for excellence and creativity in various fields . The prizes will be awarded at the culmination of the 75th Independence Day of the State of Israel, in a ceremony attended by Israeli leaders.