Trusted wealth management for the community

BY DAVID SAFFER

Barbra Streisand is the recipient of the 10th anniversary $1 million Genesis Prize.

The Academy Award winning icon of stage and screen will be honoured at a ceremony in Los Angeles in October.

The Genesis Prize Foundation awards its prestigious accolade, dubbed the ‘Jewish Nobel’ by TIME Magazine, to individuals for outstanding achievements, contributions to humanity and commitment to Jewish values.

Since the launch of the prize in 2013, Streisand has received tens of thousands of nominations for the Genesis Prize. Recognising her display of support for global Jewry, judges unanimously endorsed Streisand as the 10th laureate.

She has asked the Foundation to direct her prize funds to non-profit organisations to protect the environment, women’s health, combating disinformation in the media and aiding people of Ukraine.

She said: “I am delighted to work with Foundation to support organisations that seek to better society and our shared humanity. I am very proud of my Jewish heritage, and have always been moved by the Jewish tradition of tikkun olam, to repair the world. I hope to inspire others in their own commitment to build a better world.”

Genesis Founder and Chairman Stan Polovets noted: “Streisand is one of the world’s most beloved and admired performers. In addition to delighting audiences all over the world for the past six decades with her amazing talents, Barbra has dedicated her time, resources and passion to numerous important causes, speaking out whenever and wherever she saw injustice.”

He added: “Her sense of responsibility to heal the world grows out of her Jewish values and her Jewish identity, which Barbra has displayed proudly since the very beginning of her extraordinary career. Barbra’s innovative philanthropy has had significant impact in so many areas, including health, environment, and gender equality.”

The ceremony will take place a decade after Michael R. Bloomberg, 108th Mayor of New York City was the inaugural Genesis Prize laureate.

Bloomberg said that Streisand was an “incredibly deserving” recipient of the Genesis Prize.

“From her groundbreaking leadership on women’s health, to longstanding support for stronger gun safety laws and invaluable partnership revitalising Lower Manhattan through the soonto-open Performing Arts Center at the World Trade Center, Barbra has made an enormous impact on her native New York and far beyond,” he noted. “She has used her voice, on and off the stage and screen, to inspire generations.”

Streisand follows Dr. Albert Bourla, Chairman and CEO of Pfizer, who was honoured for his leadership in delivering the COVID-19 vaccine in record time, in receiving the accolade.

“Barbra is the embodiment of Jewish talent who has touched the hearts of millions,” he said. “Her passionate activism and philanthropy has made the world a better place.”

First Lady of Israel Michal Herzog added: “Barbra is not only my idol but an inspiration for women around the world. She is a true friend of Israel, an exemplary leader in the Jewish and human rights spheres, the definition of a woman of valour!”

As an activist and philanthropist, Streisand has donated and raised millions of dollars to address pressing issues in the US and around the world. Streisand and her Foundation have provided extensive funding to over 2,000 non-profit organisations and causes over the past 37 years.

Most recently, she assumed the role of

Ambassador for United 24, an organisation that provides humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

The Genesis Prize contributed to United 24 in Streisand’s honour this year and other Jewish activists and NGO’s working to alleviate suffering of the Ukrainian people.

Streisand was born in Brooklyn and attended an Orthodox girls’ yeshiva. She built on her Jewish upbringing by introducing and portraying Jewish characters in many of her movies. Known for her generosity to Jewish causes and support of Israel, Streisand is an outspoken critic of antisemitism.

An icon in entertainment, she has achieved unprecedented success as a recording artist, actor, director, producer, screenwriter, author and songwriter.

One of 23 people, including eight women, to have achieved an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award, Streisand has also received the American Film Institute’s Lifetime Achievement Award, Kennedy Center Honour, National Medal of Arts from President Bill Clinton, Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barak Obama and France’s Légion d’Honneur.

She is the first woman to direct, produce, write and star in a major motion picture, the first woman composer to receive an Academy Award, the only recording artist who has achieved Number 1 albums in six consecutive decades, and first woman to receive a Golden Globe Award for Best Director.

Previous Genesis Prize laureates include Michael Douglas, Itzhak Perlman, Sir Anish Kapoor, Natalie Portman, Robert Kraft, Natan Sharansky and Steven Spielberg.

Since inception, The Genesis Prize has leveraged the annual award into philanthropic initiatives totalling over $50 million with grants going over 220 non-profit programs in 31 countries.