For Irith Rappaport, the Rappaport Prize has always meant more than just a recognition of excellence. It’s a living, breathing tribute to her parents’ legacy and values. Established by the Bruce and Ruth Rappaport Foundation, the prize honors those who dare to dream, create, and bring about change to Israeli society. In times of crisis, it has become much more than a symbol of achievement. It is a beacon of resilience and hope.
“The Rappaport Prize is my baby,” she says with warmth. “It’s a gift from my parents. They taught us that money comes with responsibility and obligations [and] to give back to the world.” That ethos of generosity and purpose continues to guide the prize today, supporting artists, scientists, and women changemakers who shape Israel’s future.
Adapting to uncertain times
As the world has faced seismic challenges, from a global pandemic to the aftermath of October 7, the prize, too, has evolved. Rappaport seized an opportunity to deepen its impact.
“During COVID, we had to rethink everything. We made an exception and moved the March ceremony to June and focused on helping artists who were stuck at home, unable to create,” she recalls.
“Instead of [giving] individual prizes to two artists, we purchased several dozen artworks for the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport collection at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, not just to support the artists financially, but [also] to keep their creativity alive.”
In 2023, while Israel’s democracy was facing significant changes by lawmakers, the Rappaport Prize for Art was awarded to two Israeli Arab feminist artists: Hannan Abu-Hussein and Maria Salah Mahameed. They share a common origin in Umm al-Fahm, a northern Arab city that has grown into a vibrant center for emerging Arab art. Both artists have been navigating their complex journeys as Arab women within the predominantly Jewish Israeli art scene.
The prize continued to adapt amid the Israel-Hamas War that broke out in October 2023. “We changed the ceremony date again and turned to video art to reflect what was happening. In times of trauma, art becomes a way to process pain. It helped us create space for emotion, for struggle,” Rappaport explains.
The choice of this year’s art laureates reflects that same responsiveness to our times. The Established Artist award went to Nira Pereg, whose politically and religiously charged video works explore social rituals and national identity. The Promising Artist award was given to Lali Fruheling, known for her immersive, theatrical installations that blend glamour and vulnerability with themes of fragility and mortality. Both artists will present solo exhibitions at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, supported by a combined prize with a total value of $140,000, including individual financial awards and exhibition production support.
One moment Rappaport can’t forget is a meeting in the museum garden with Sharone Lifschitz, one of the 2024 Art Prize laureates and daughter of the late Oded Lifshitz, who was brutally abducted from his home in Nir Oz on October 7 and then murdered by Hamas terrorists. “We were still hoping he’d come back,” she says quietly. “They just wanted to talk. That reminded us that behind every tragedy are human lives, real grief. That connection, that’s why we do this.”
Honoring women who drive change
This year, the prize category for Women Generating Change turned its spotlight on women making a difference in child welfare and education, areas that feel especially urgent now.
“This generation – they’ve lived through COVID, through war, through trauma. In many ways, it’s a lost generation. But we must see them. We must help them heal and rebuild,” Rappaport says.
This year’s Ruth Rappaport Prize for Women Generating Change honored three women whose work is transforming lives across Israel. Among them was Or Alterman-Barnea, founder of Safe Place (“Mekomot Shmurim”) and the grassroots “Mammazone” community for mothers. Ahlam Abo Karen Abu Ganem, a Bedouin PhD in public health, was recognized for her work in early childhood and family health. And Dr. Efrat Bron-Harlev, director of Schneider Children’s Medical Center, who proactively initiated the establishment of the Returnees Department, which treated most of the children who returned from captivity in November 2023.
Under Bron-Harlev’s guidance, Schneider Children’s teams delved into all available information on the return of children from captivity, despite the lack of medical literature on the subject, thus actually writing the textbook on children returning from captivity. Dr. Bron-Harlev moved many when she announced that she would be donating her prize money to the hospital.
“There are so many amazing women shaping the future in health and in creating a favorable living environment for our children. We wanted to honor that work,” Rappaport says. “They represent resilience, compassion, and forward-thinking.”
The healing power of art
Art, for Rappaport, is more than a cultural pursuit. It’s a vehicle for healing, community, democracy, and a driver of social change
“Art helps redeem people. It’s a tool for rehabilitation and connection,” she says. The Tel Aviv Museum of Art, the first partner of the Rappaport Prize, has become a sanctuary, offering art therapy for soldiers, caregivers, and children coping with trauma. “One soldier told us, ‘When I’m here, I feel normal.’ That’s what art can do. It reconnects you to yourself, gives you peace.”
In a country facing political and social upheaval, Rappaport sees art as a form of resistance and resilience. “When people ask, ‘Who needs art with so many problems?’ I say: we need it more than ever. Culture and creativity are what keep democracy alive.”
This year, the power of art was also seen in the works of Pereg and Fruheling, whose exhibitions will become part of the museum’s permanent Rappaport Collection. Their art, like the prize itself, reflects the shifting emotional landscape of contemporary Israel.
A legacy made personal
For Rappaport, the prize is also a deeply personal journey. She often speaks of her parents’ influence – her mother, a trailblazing feminist; her father, a visionary in medicine and philanthropy.
“My mother taught us to stand up for ourselves. My father said, when he laid the first stone for the biomedical research institute in Haifa, ‘From here will come Israel’s first Nobel Prize.’ And he was right.”
The prize’s reach extends beyond art and social leadership. Under the Rappaport Foundation, a biomedical research prize continues to support scientific excellence, part of the broader vision to elevate Israel across multiple spheres of impact.
The women’s prize, which honors her mother’s memory, holds a special place in Rappaport’s heart. “This ceremony is my soul project,” she says. “It’s how I share my parents’ legacy and celebrate the people making a difference today.”
Looking ahead
As Israel begins to heal from one of the most difficult periods in its history, Rappaport looks to the future with quiet determination. Next year’s prize, she says, may focus on education and creativity.
“What we’ve seen since October 7 is resilience. This generation has been tested, and yet, creativity hasn’t stopped. It’s alive, it’s thriving. That gives me hope.”
She adds, with the conviction of someone who’s seen the worst and still believes in the best: “We’ve been through so much. But we’re a strong people. We’ll keep creating, rebuilding, and inspiring.”
In a world often defined by conflict and uncertainty, the Rappaport Prize remains a powerful reminder of what generosity, vision, and art can achieve – even in the darkest of times.