Jewish Honorees Account for Nearly One in Every Four Laureates
First awarded in 1901 to commemorate the 5th anniversary of scientist Alfred Nobel, the Nobel Prize is now awarded annually to honorees in six categories: physics, chemistry, literature, medicine, peace and economics (this category was added in 1969). Over it’s storied history, the Nobel Prize has been given 965 times, with 216 of the recipients having at least one parent of Jewish heritage. There have been Jewish honorees in all categories. Some 60 recipients of the Nobel Prize in Medicine have been Jewish and more than 40% of the honorees for economics have been Jewish. Jewish scientists account for approximately 25% of all Nobel prizes for physics and medicine, and one in ten Nobel Peace prize recipients have been Jewish.
Jewish Nobel Laureates in Chemistry
37 Jewish chemists have been awarded the science community’s most prestigious honor, from Henri Moissan, the 1906 laureate who discovered fluorine and developed the first electric furnace to David Baker, awarded the prize in 2024 for computational protein design. Paul Berg won the 1980 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work with recombinant DNA.
Jewish Nobel Prize Winners for Medicine
Russian Elie Metchnikoff and German Paul Erlich were lauded in 1908 for their work together on human immunity systems. Since then, 58 additional Jewish scientists have received the Nobel Prize in Medicine, including American Gary Ruvkun, who took home the prize in 2024 for the discovery of microRNA. American Drew Weissman was honored a year earlier for work that facilitated the development of an effective vaccine against COVID-19.
Jewish Recipients of the Nobel Prize for Physics
Jewish scientists have earned 56 Nobel Prizes for physics, one of every four given. Two of the most famous, Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr, won back-to-back awards in 1921 and 1922, Einstein for his contributions to theoretical physics, including his general theory of relativity; and Bohr for his research into the structure of atoms. Bohr’s son, Aage, also received the Nobel Prize, in 1975 for his work with Ben Roy Mottelson on collective motion and particle motion in atomic nuclei.
Jewish Nobel Prize Recipients in Literature
Many of the 20th century’s most storied writers are among the list of Jewish Nobel Prize honorees:
- Boris Pasternak, the Soviet novelist and poet who penned Dr. Zhivago, won the award in 1958, but was prohibited from accepting it by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Pasternak died just two years later at the age of 70. His son finally accepted the award on his behalf in 1989.
- Nelly Sachs—The German-born playwright and poet wrote some of the most powerful works about the rise of Nazism in Germany, which caused her to flee to Sweden. She received the Nobel Prize in 1966
- Saul Bellow—Author of Herzog, The Adventures of Augie March, Henderson The Rain King and Humboldt’s Gift, Bellow took home the 1976 prize for “the human understanding and…and analysis of contemporary culture” prevalent in his works.
- Isaac Bashevis Singer—Born in Poland, Singer penned short stories, novels, memoirs and essays. A seminal figure in the Yiddish literary movement, his most famous works include A Day of Pleasure and The Magician of Lublin. Singer was honored by the Nobel Prize committee for his ability to “bring the universal condition to life.” Singer received the Nobel Prize in 1978.
- Nadine Gordimer—Using her pen to bring the world’s attention to apartheid, Gordimer became one of the most revered female writers of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Known for such works as The Conservationist, Burger’s Daughter, and July’s People¸ Gordimer helped Nelson Mandela craft his defense speech at his 1964 trial. She won the Nobel Prize in 1991.
- Bob Dylan—In one of the most controversial decisions ever made by the committee, songwriter and musician Bob Dylan took home the 2016 award for “creating new poetic expressions in the great American song tradition.”
Jewish Nobel Prize Laureates for Economics
Jewish economists have dominated the economics award, winning approximately four of every ten awarded. Among the more well-known are Milton Friedman (1976), Paul Krugman (2008) and Ben Bernanke (2022), former chairman of the Federal Reserve Committee.
Jewish Recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize
In 1911, Tobias Michael Carel Asser won the Peace Prize for his involvement with the Conferences on International Law at the Hague. Other recipients include:
- Henry Kissinger (1973) for his work on the Paris agreement that eventually led to the withdrawal of American troops from Vietnam
- Menachem Begin (1978) for his role in the Camp David Agreement, which led to a period of peace between Israel and Egypt
- Elie Wiesel (1986) for his work as chairman of the President’s Commission on the Holocaust
- Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres (1994) for their joint involvement in promoting peace in the Middle East
Gutterman’s and Gutterman Warheit—Serving the Jewish Community for Five Generations
At Gutterman’s and Gutterman Warheit, with funeral chapels in New York and Florida, we have provided comprehensive funeral and burial services to individuals and families in the . We have a thorough understanding of the different customs within each Jewish tradition and can offer assistance and guidance on any issue, whether it’s the order of service at the memorial, the selection of a casket or monument, the details of sitting Shiva or the preparation of a Yahrzeit calendar. We will also work directly with the Chevra Kadisha to ensure that the body has been properly prepared according to Jewish law prior to interment.
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