Argentina president Javier Milei was awarded the $ 1 million Genesis Award in January, in recognition of his support for Israel. After postponing a planned visit in March, he is now scheduled to receive the prize at a ceremony at Knesset, the Israeli Parliament on June 11. This is the first time a head of state has received recognition.
According to a statement, Milei was unanimously chosen by the Judging Committee, which highlighted his “unmistakable support to Israel.” Among the actions mentioned are the announcement of the transfer of the Argentine embassy to Jerusalem, which should not occur at this time, and the reversal of anti-Israel votes in the UN. The committee also praised the Argentine president for his “defense of western values, democracy and freedom around the world”, with explicit mention of support to Volodymyr Zelensky and the people of Ukraine. In addition, he recognized “the economic achievements of his government that stabilized the Argentine economy in 2024.”
Milei said he was “deeply honored to receive the Genesis Award. Of course I will not get the monetary value of the Award. I will give him to causes that support freedom and the fight against anti-Semitism, both in Argentina and in the world.” The Argentine president must still donate the prize value to launch an initiative aimed at improving diplomatic relations between Israel and Latin American countries.
For Stan Polovets, co -founder and president of the Genesis Award Foundation, “Milei is a true hero of the Jewish people.” He stated that “unlike leaders from many other countries, who remained silent or even sanctioned Israel, Milei supported the Jewish people and their state.”
Previous Award winners include New York Entrepreneur and former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, actors Michael Douglas and Barbra Streisand, violinist Itzhak Perlman, sculptor Anish Kapoor, filmmaker Steven Spielberg, the owner of New England Patriots Robert Kraft and former Soviet political prisoner Christmas Sharansky.
