One of the greatest honours a scholar can receive in their lifetime is the notorious Nobel Prize. With awards in chemistry, economics, literature, peace, physics, and physiology/medicine there are award opportunities for scholars of all interests and specialties. Since 1901 when the first Nobel Prize was awarded, there has been 992 laureates from a diverse swath of cultures and backgrounds as of 2024. There is one notable group of Nobel Prize laureates who make up less than 0.2% of the world’s population yet represent 22% of all Nobel Prize recipients. This group happens to be Jewish Nobel laureates.

Familiar names such as Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, and Gustav Hertz may come to mind when one thinks of Jewish Nobel Prize winners, but what is it about Jewish culture leads to so many Jewish individuals being awarded this honour? Education and the continuation of such through an individual’s lifetime is a strong value in Jewish culture worldwide. Jewish people are encouraged to ask questions and look critically at the world and are always pushed to continue to learn more and work hard to do so. An important mitzvah (good deed) in Jewish culture is helping others who are in need such as the sick, elderly, impoverished, and others. These two Jewish values may be part of the equation that adds up to this overly disproportionate representation of Jewish winners of the Nobel Prize.

 Astonishingly, many Jewish winners survived genocide and persecution within Nazi extermination camps, yet still persevered and became laureates of this amazing award. One example of this miracle is Romanian-American writer Eliezer (Elie) Wiesel who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986 for speaking out against violence, repression, and racism. A few years prior in 1944 Weisel was deported to Auschwitz concentration camp where 90% of people were murdered on arrival. This terrible fate beheld Wiesel’s mother and younger sister, yet Wiesel and his father were selected to perform labor until they were not well enough to do so. Weisel survived in Auschwitz until liberation by the U.S. Third Army in 1945 with Weisel’s only motivation for survival being the hope that his father was still alive. Wiesel’s is an inspiring story of hope and perseverance in a time where all the odds are against you, showing how anything is possible when you put your mind to it.

Another historical Jewish laureate who experienced a different kind of persecution from his own government is Boris Pasternak. Born in Moscow, USSR in 1890, Pasternack was a passionate poet and author who wrote the notable, yet controversial book Doctor Zhivago. Rumors of Pasternak being nominated for the prize began after the conclusion of World War II and in 1958 Pasternak was finally awarded the Nobel Prize for literature due to his “achievement in both contemporary poetry and the field of the great Russian narrative tradition”. Pasternak accepted the prize at first though due to the subject matter of writings like Doctor Zhivago being somewhat anti-socialist, Soviet authorities threatened deportation of Pasternak if he traveled to Stockholm to collect his prize. This led Pasternak to end up declining this award, yet despite this Pasternak was still exiled to the West by Soviet authorities. Unfortunately, due to Pasternak’s controversy he was unable to claim his deserved Nobel Prize, yet he remains a symbol of courage and standing up for what you believe in regardless of what those around you are saying.

Another Jewish Nobel Prize laureate who faced different odds is Gerty Cori. Cori is the third woman to have won a Nobel Prize in science and was the first woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize in physiology/medicine. Cori was born in Prague during a time where women were marginalized, and education was hard to come by for females. Due to the deteriorating conditions of Europe at the time, Cori and her husband emigrated to the United States. During her time in the States Cori studied how glucose is metabolized in the human body. Cori was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1947 “for her discovery of the course of the catalytic conversion of glycogen”. Cori is a great inspiration as a scientist and as a woman. With all odds against her, Cori persevered and kept trying despite criticisms due to her gender. Cori’s hard work finally paid off with the recognition of her scientific advancements and her Nobel Prize win.

Though there are at least 216 Jewish Nobel Prize Laureates, I will mention just one more.  A very notable Jewish-Israeli Nobel Peace Prize winner is Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Rabin was born in Jerusalem and worked hard in school, focusing much of his studies in the field of agriculture. In 1992 Rabin was elected as prime minister due to his great efforts of fostering the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Rabin was a beacon of hope during a terrifying time for Israelis and Palestinians alike. Rabin began fostering communication, humanization, and deradicalization on both sides of the issue creating the Oslo Accord agreement alongside Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Due to these efforts of Rabin peace was no longer a distant dream for Israelis and Palestinians and a view of a brighter future was not far off in the minds of civilians. This led to Rabin winning the Nobel Peace Prize with Shimon Peres as well as Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. In 1994 Rabin signed a peace treaty with Jordan, creating an even more optimistic dream for the future of Israel. Yet, this dream came to an end in 1995 when Rabin was assassinated by an extremist who opposed the Oslo Accords. Along with the death of Rabin, there was also a halt in most of the peace efforts between Israelis and Palestinians alike. Though the message of peace, humanity, and hope is not gone, the life and death of Rabin will remain forever alongside the dream of peace for generations to follow.