The State of Israel bestows honor on IDI for “Special Contribution to Society & State” at an Independence Day Ceremony in Jerusalem
IDI was awarded the Jewish State’s highest honor at an Independence Day Ceremony in Jerusalem. The Israel Prize for Special Contribution to Society & State is awarded each year to individuals and organizations that excel in their role in Israeli society.
The award was presented to IDI President Arye Carmon by President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President of the Supreme Court, Dorit Beinisch, Minister of Education, Gideon Sa'ar, Chairman of the Knesset, Reuven Rivlin, and Mayor of Jerusalem, Nir Barkat. Dr. Carmon, who accepted the prize on behalf of the Institute, said of the award – “The Israel Prize is the highest honor the country can bestow on any organization. It is a tribute to the hard work and support of so many people over the last 18 years. This award fortifies our determination to strengthen democracy in Israel and to lead with a vision and with concrete proposals for change.”
In its rationale, the Israel Prize commission noted that IDI is today the "center with the greatest professional and public influence on constitutional and democratic discourse in Israel due to its significant three-tiered activity – information, research and discourse with decision makers and those who implement those decisions – and for its considerable contribution to Knesset legislation, to structural reforms in the executive branch, to curricula in secondary schools and institutions of higher education, to facilitating dialogue among divided core elements in Israeli society, and to the development of a cluster of programs, the most prominent of which are the Caesarea Economic Forum, the Prime Minister’s Forum, and its crowning endeavor, Constitution by Consensus."
Additionally, the committee noted IDI's contribution to "the planning of governmental, normative and administrative reforms in the institutions of Israeli democracy," adding that the "most diverse segments of Israeli society recognize it as the only honest broker that has earned the authority to facilitate dialogue at the heart of the divisions rending Israeli society.”
The IDI joins influential Israeli establishments that include Yad Vashem, the Jewish National Fund and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, which have been honored with the Israel Prize in the past.