Image by Getty/Forward Montage

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has arrived in Israel to receive an award from the Jewish organization snubbed earlier this year by actor Natalie Portman.

The inaugural Genesis Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to the U.S. Supreme Court justice in a private event at the Yitzhak Rabin Center, Tel Aviv, on Wednesday evening.

The Genesis Prize was established five years ago by a group of wealthy Jewish-Russian businessmen, to “recognize [Jewish] individuals who have attained excellence and international renown in their chosen professional fields.”

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Haaretz’s Yossi Verter reported last November that Ginsburg had originally been tapped to receive the prize. However, according to Verter, the decision was reversed when the prize committee realized that the U.S. Supreme Court justice had been critical of Donald Trump prior to his election, and that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would not want to be seen on the same stage with a liberal who had attacked the president. The committee itself, however, said it had overturned its decision when the panel’s legal adviser discovered that U.S. judges are barred from receiving monetary prizes from a foreign country.

As a result, the Genesis Prize Foundation announced in November that Ginsburg would receive the Lifetime Achievement Award and that Israeli-born, Academy Award-winning actor Portman would receive its top prize, which comes with a $1 million award.

Alyssa Fisher is a news writer at the Forward. Email her at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount