Levitzky Prize in Algebra

The Levitzky Prize in Algebra

The Levitzky Prize is awarded in memory of Jacob Levitzky and his wife Charlotte. Jacob Levitzky served for many years as a professor of mathematics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He served as chairman of the Institute of Mathematics and was considered the pioneer and founder of the field of algebra in Israel. Charlotte Levitzky (née Ascher) was born in Berlin in 1910. She became a librarian and worked in a large bookstore until the Nazis led by Hitler came to power in 1933. Following the advice of her employer, who predicted the coming disaster, she decided to leave for Paris and then emigrated to Palestine. In 1939 she married Jacob Levitzky and the family settled in Jerusalem. After Jacob Levitzky's death, she restarted her career as a librarian. She rose quickly through the ranks of the Hebrew University National Library and became head of the acquisition department, a role she held until she retired in 1972. From that time, almost until her death in 1997, she volunteered in various institutions, including Hadassah hospital. The Levitzky Prize is awarded once every two years to an outstanding Israeli mathematician who undertakes research in algebra or related topics such as algebraic number theory or algebraic geometry. The recipient must have been awarded their doctorate not longer that seven year before 31 December preceding the award. The jury for the prize is chaired by the president of the Israel Mathematical Union and consists of two further mathematicians who remain anonymous. The prize is awarded at the Union's annual conference and the Levitzky family is invited to the award ceremony. Here is a list of the winners:

1998 Yakov Varshavsky, The Hebrew University

2000 Shlomo Gelaki, Ben Gurion University

2003 Uzi Vishne, Bar Ilan University

2005 Yehuda Shalom, Tel Aviv University

2007 Maria Gorelik, Weizmann Institute of Science

2009 Nir Avni, The Hebrew University

2011 Michael Temkin, The Hebrew University

2013 Dmitri Gourevitch, Weizmann Institute of Science

2015 Avraham Aizenbud, Weizmann Institute of Science

2017 Chen Meiri, The Technion