Natan Sharansky delivers his acceptance speech. (Photo Credit: Mark Neyman/GPO)

On December 24, 2020, Natan Sharansky received the seventh Genesis Prize at a ceremony hosted at the Residence of the President of Israel, Reuven Rivlin. Held during the COVID-19 pandemic, the ceremony included a small group of guests attending in person and hundreds of individuals from around the world joining by video.

The ceremony featured remarks from President Rivlin and Isaac Herzog, then-Chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel and Chairman of the Genesis Prize Selection Committee, as well as the presentation of prizes to winners of the Genesis Prize Start-Up Nation Central competition.

Accepting the prize, Mr. Sharansky said:

“I really want to thank Kadosh Baruch Hu, the State of Israel, [and] all the Jews of the world, for giving my wife and I… [the] pleasure of participating in this unique Jewish journey.”