Bloomberg Named First Genesis Prize Laureate

New York City Mayor and part-time Tuckahoe resident Michael Bloomberg has been named the inaugural Genesis Prize Laureate—an award being called the “Jewish Nobel Prize.”

The Genesis Prize was crafted by the government of Israel, the Jewish Agency for Israel and Genesis Philanthropy Group. “The Genesis Prize is awarded to individuals who have achieved international recognition in their professional field, the worlds of science and the arts,” according to Genesis Philanthropy Group.

“I am deeply honored to be the first recipient of the Genesis Prize,” Bloomberg said in a statement. “Many years ago, my parents instilled in me Jewish values and ethics that I have carried with me throughout my life, and which have guided every aspect of my work in business, government, and philanthropy. The Genesis Prize embraces and promotes those same values and ethics — a common thread among the Jewish people worldwide that has helped move humankind forward for centuries.”

The Genesis Prize will be presented by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem in May 2014.

Yuli Edelstein, the speaker of the Israeli Parliament and chairman of the prize committee, said, “Mayor Bloomberg’s selection as the first Genesis Prize Laureate reflects his track record of outstanding public service and his role as one of the world’s greatest philanthropists. As a visionary entrepreneur, he has transformed the way the world conducts business and created a more open and better informed world.”

Bloomberg bought Ballyshear, a 35-acre Tuckahoe estate, in 2011. He is a regular at the annual Hampton Classic Horse Show in Bridgehampton with his daughter, Georgina Bloomberg, a professional equestrian. 

Bloomberg, who is serving his last year as mayor, is expected to announce in early 2014 which philanthropic cause he intends to donate the $1 million prize too.