Princeton Physicist To Give Prize to J Street
A physicist said he would probably donate part of the $3 million he won in a surprise award to J Street, the liberal pro-Israel group.
Edward Witten, a professor of mathematical physics at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton N.J., was one of nine physicists chosen by Yuri Milner, a Russian high-tech investor, to receive the $27 million Fundamental Physics Prize.
The award was made public this week, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, and the scientists were taken aback when Milner called beforehand to tell them; it is the first time he is awarding the prize.
Witten told the Inquirer that J Street, which presses for a greater U.S. role in the Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, would likely get some of the money. J Street congratulated Witten.
“I couldn’t be happier for Edward and that he is receiving the recognition he deserves for the work he does,” J Street director Jeremy Ben Ami said in an email to JTA. “We’re very appreciative as well that on a day celebrating his achievements, he thinks of other issues of importance to the world, such as the quest for Middle East peace.”
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.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
