Ron Dermer, seven more English-speaking Israelis honored for contributions to state

Ron Dermer, the longtime confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who left his post as strategic affairs minister last year, was named on Monday as the recipient of a Special Recognition Award by Nefesh b’Nefesh, an organization that facilitates immigration to Israel.

The Bonei Zion Prize is given annually to immigrants from English-speaking countries who have made significant contributions to the state.

In addition to a special recognition and a lifetime achievement award, the prize is awarded for special contributions in the nonprofit, science, education, culture, global impact, and young leadership realms.

The US-born Dermer was Israel’s ambassador to the US from 2013 to 2021 and was a key negotiator of the Abraham Accords, which saw the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco normalize relations with Israel in 2020.

He served as strategic affairs minister during most of the war in Gaza, leading negotiations to return the hostages held by terror groups in the Strip as well as talks over the buffer zone with Syria. He resigned last November and has since served as a special envoy for Netanyahu in a private capacity.

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Dermer’s “decades of public service reflect the transformative impact of Olim on Israel and the Jewish world,” Nefesh b’Nefesh said in a statement, referring to Jews from abroad who immigrate to Israel under the Law of Return.

There were seven other recipients of the award, reflecting contributions to various areas of Israeli society.

The Lifetime Achievement Award went to Professor Marta Weinstock-Rosin, a neuropharmacologist who was the lead developer for what would eventually become the Novartis Exelon Patch, the first and only FDA-approved skin patch for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

Weinstock-Rosin, who is Orthodox, was born in Vienna and fled with her family to Britain in 1939, narrowly escaping the Nazis. She came to Israel with her family in 1969. She has also won the Israel Prize — the country’s most prestigious award — and been honored as one of the torch-lighters at the state Independence Day ceremony.

Naomi Stuchiner, who leads the Beit Issie Shapiro organization for people with disabilities, won the award in the Community & Non-Profit category.

Dr. Philip Klipstein, the senior principal scientist in research and development for SemiConductor Devices Ltd., won the category for Science and Medicine.

Rabbanit Chana Henkin, founder of the Nishmat center for women’s Jewish learning, won in the field of Education.

Ami Baran, who heads the Israel Athletics Association, won in the field of Culture, Arts, and Sports.

Danielle Abraham, director of Volcani International Partnerships and ReGrow Israel, won in the field of Global Impact.

Barak Swartz, who founded GRIT for Good, won in the field of Young Leadership.

Some 21,900 people immigrated to Israel from around the world in 2025, a steep drop of about one-third from the previous year’s numbers as arrivals from Russia dried up.

Among those were some 4,100 North Americans, an increase of 12% from the previous year, Nefesh b’Nefesh has said.