1.1. The Weizmann Prize.

The Weizmann Prize for Exact Sciences is awarded by the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality. It is presented every two years to two scientists for exceptional research in the exact sciences. The prize was established in 1944 to commemorate the 70th birthday of Dr Chaim Weizmann, a prominent figure in science and the first president of Israel.

1.2. Shmuel Agmon wins the Weizmann Prize.

Shmuel Agmon was awarded the Weizmann Prize in 1956. Zvi Tabor, the founding father of the Israel's solar industry, was the other scientist to receive the Weizmann Prize for Exact Sciences in 1956. Shmuel Agmon and Zvi Tabor received their Prizes personally from David Ben-Gurion, the Prime Minister of Israel.

2.1. The Rothschild Prize.

The Rothschild Prize was established in 1959 by Yad Hanadiv, a philanthropic foundation acting on behalf of the Rothschild family in Israel. Prizes are awarded to support, encourage and advance the Sciences and Humanities in Israel, and recognise original and outstanding published work in the following disciplines: Agriculture, Chemical Sciences, Engineering, Humanities, Jewish Studies, Life Sciences, Mathematics, Physical Sciences and Social Sciences. Prizes are awarded in two-year cycles; in each discipline, a Prize is awarded once in four years.

2.2. Shmuel Agmon wins the Rothschild Prize in Mathematics.

The first Rothschild Prizes awarded were in 1959 to:

Max Kurrein who received the Rothschild Prize in Engineering;
Shmuel Agmon who received the Rothschild Prize in Mathematics; and
Dan Patinkin who received the Rothschild Prize in Social Sciences.

2.3. Rothschild Prize in Mathematics, Rothschild Prizes 2010: Fifty Years.

This article by Michael O Rabin was published on 15 April 2010:

Israel is a mathematical and computer science empire. Despite its small size, the State of Israel is recognised world-wide as an important centre for modern mathematical innovation of the highest calibre. In computer science, Israel is second only to the United States as a source of ground-breaking scientific work. This excellence is testified to by invitations of Israeli scientists to deliver keynote lectures at the most important scientific conferences, by their election to leading academies of sciences such as the US National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the French Academy of Sciences and the Royal Society, and by being awarded major international prizes. For example, three Israeli scientists were recipients of the A M Turing Award, a prize widely considered to be the equivalent, in the field of computer science, of the Nobel Prizes.

The roots of Israeli prominence in mathematics go back to the years before the establishment of the State of Israel. The Hebrew University Einstein Institute of Mathematics was by founded by mathematicians such as B Amira, A A Fraenkel, M Fekete, J Levitzki and T Motzkin. They brought the European tradition of mathematics from the great centres in Germany and Hungary to the tiny university in Jerusalem. They educated a series of brilliant students, many of whom went on abroad to obtain doctorates and later returned to Israel to start a lineage of students and students of students who formed the core of leadership of mathematical research in Israel. These people were joined by a large number of brilliant researchers who emigrated to Israel over the years, bringing with them further diversity and excellence in mathematical research.

The list of Rothschild Prize recipients reflects the strengths and superior achievements of Israel in mathematics and computer science. It is comprised of absolute world class leaders in the study of partial differential equations, applied mathematics, abstract algebra and ring theory, dynamical systems and ergodic theory, theoretical computer science and its applications to cryptography, group theory and group representations and their applications to fields such as combinatorics and physics, mathematical logic, model theory and its profound applications to algebra. Many of the results bear the names of their prize winning innovators and are of fundamental and lasting importance in their respective fields. Some of this work has spawned practical industrial applications of considerable economic value.

Mathematics and computer science in Israel have blossomed in other fields that will surely be recognised by Rothschild Prizes in future years. Yad Hanadiv acted wisely and with foresight in recognising the importance and high level of Israeli mathematics 50 years ago and in including this subject among the Rothschild Prize categories. This inclusion and the roster of outstanding awardees were based on the excellence of Israeli mathematicians and in turn contributed to further fostering and enhancing this excellence. All in all, the Rothschild Prizes in mathematics represent a brilliant past and present, and a glorious future!

3.1. The Israel Prize.

The Israel Prize is the most important and prestigious prize given in the State of Israel. It was initiated in 1953 by the then Minister of Education, Ben-Zion Dinur, and it has been awarded continuously since then.

Each year, the committees of judges submit their recommendations to the Minister of Education for the award of the prize in various and diverse fields of activity and creativity in Israel.

The winners are Israeli citizens - individuals, or in exceptional cases, partners in achievement who have demonstrated special distinction, excellence and breakthrough in their field or who have made a special contribution to Israeli society.

The awards ceremony is held annually, on the evening of Independence Day in Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, in an official and state ceremony, and in the presence of the heads of state: the President, the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the Knesset, the President of the Supreme Court, the Mayor of Jerusalem and the Minister of Education - who is the government's representative for the issue of the Israel Prize.

The main areas for which the Israel Prize is awarded are: Jewish sciences, humanities and society, Life sciences and exact sciences, Culture and art, Lifetime achievement - a special contribution to society and the state.

3.2. Shmuel Agmon wins the Israel Prize in Exact Sciences.

Exact Sciences was published as an area in which the 1991 Israel Prize would awarded. The committee which was set up to make recommendations decided that Shmuel Agmon should receive the prize.

4.1. The A.M.N. Foundation for the Advancement of Science, Art and Culture.

The A.M.N. Foundation for the Advancement of Science, Art and Culture was founded in 1999 by a group of Latin American friends of Israel. This group has been active in numerous projects since before the founding of the State of Israel, with the goal of encouraging and promoting the Zionist enterprise. The Foundation has undertaken to promote research and development in Israel to improve the welfare of Israel's society. The Foundation works with academic and research institutions in order to fund and support research and sponsor scholarships for students. The sponsorship and administration of the EMET Prizes together with the Prime Minister's Office, is an additional project of the Foundation.

4.2. About the EMET Prize.

The EMET Prize is an annual prize given for excellence in academic and professional achievements that have far reaching influence and significant contribution to society. The Prizes are sponsored by the A.M.N. Foundation for the Advancement of Science, Art and Culture in Israel, under the auspices of and in cooperation with the Prime Minister of Israel.

The intention of the A.M.N. Foundation, through the award of the EMET Prizes, is to acknowledge those who view excellence as a way of life and the fulfilment of human potential as essential to creating a better world for future generations. The EMET Prize is administered by the Award Committee comprised of representatives appointed by the Prime Minister and the A.M.N. Foundation.

The Prizes are awarded to Israeli citizens, and in certain circumstances to non-citizens that reside in Israel and consider Israel as their permanent home.

The Prizes are awarded annually in the following categories: The Exact Sciences, Life Sciences, Social Sciences, Humanities & Judaism, Art and Culture.

4.3. Citation for the 2007 EMET Prize to Shmuel Agmon.

Prof Shmuel Agmon is awarded the EMET Prize for paving new paths in the study of elliptic partial differential equations and their boundary value problems and for advancing the knowledge in this field, as well for his essential contribution to the development of the spectral and scattering theories of Schrödinger operators.

4.4. Shmuel Agmon's CV for the 2007 EMET Prize.

Prof Shmuel Agmon was born in Tel-Aviv in 1922. He spent the first years of his life in the Arab town of Nazareth, where his mother was a dentist and his father, author, critic and public figure, dedicated himself to his writing. The family moved to Jerusalem in the mid-1920s.

He attended the Hebrew Gymnasium and was member of the Mahanot Haolim youth movement. Upon completing his high-school studies he joined the pioneer training ("hachshara") in Kibbutz Na'an. In 1940 he returned to Jerusalem and started studying mathematics at the Hebrew University. Among his teachers were Prof Michael Fekete, Prof Abraham Halevi Fraenkel, Prof Benjamin Amira and Prof Yaakov Levitzki. His studies were interrupted by World War II and he joined the British Army. After four years of military service in Europe, Palestine and Cyprus he completed his degree, and then went to France for further studies.

In 1949 he was awarded a doctorate from the Sorbonne University in Paris. He taught at the Rice University in Texas for three years and in 1952 returned to the Hebrew University, where he was made senior lecturer.

In 1959 he became full professor and in 1964 he was elected as member of The Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities.

Over the years he was Visiting Professor in many universities around the world. His scientific work has won him the Weizmann Prize, the Rothschild Prize and the Israel Prize in mathematics. Nantes University in France has awarded him an honorary doctorate.