The America-Israel Cultural Foundation (AICF) is a non-profit American foundation that supports cultural projects in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

History

The America-Israel Cultural Foundation was established in 1939 to support the growth and development of a Jewish national home. It was originally known as the American Fund for Palestinian Institutions. After the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, the name was changed to the American Fund for Israeli Institutions, and subsequently re-incorporated as a 501(c)3 nonprofit foundation in the US as its current name, the America-Israel Cultural Foundation. After initial years of funding the development of Israeli life through capital projects involving agriculture, archeology, culture, law, and numerous other categories, the organization shifted its focus entirely to culture and by 1954 was entirely focused on cultural support. As an early provider of

seed money Seed money, sometimes known as seed funding or seed capital, is a form of securities offering in which an investor invests capital in a startup company in exchange for an equity stake or convertible note stake in the company. The term ''seed'' su ...

for nearly all of the notable cultural institutions in Israel, including the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the Israel Museum, the Batsheva Dance Company and over 600 other institutions, AICF helped establish and maintain the long-standing excellence of Israeli culture throughout the world. In 1961, it gave entertainer

Jack Benny Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky, February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974) was an American entertainer who evolved from a modest success playing violin on the vaudeville circuit to one of the leading entertainers of the twentieth century with ...

an award for his support. The organization was once housed in the William H. Moore House ''Note:'' This includes from 1966 until the late 1970s. In 1977, the AICF created a chapter in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Early recipients included

Daniel Barenboim Daniel Barenboim (; in he, דניאל בארנבוים, born 15 November 1942) is an Argentine-born classical pianist and conductor based in Berlin. He has been since 1992 General Music Director of the Berlin State Opera and "Staatskapellmeist ...

Itzhak Perlman Itzhak Perlman ( he, יצחק פרלמן; born August 31, 1945) is an Israeli-American violinist widely considered one of the greatest violinists in the world. Perlman has performed worldwide and throughout the United States, in venues that hav ...

Daniel Libeskind Daniel Libeskind (born May 12, 1946) is a Polish–American architect, artist, professor and set designer. Libeskind founded Studio Daniel Libeskind in 1989 with his wife, Nina, and is its principal design architect. He is known for the design a ...

(for accordion),

Pinchas Zukerman Pinchas Zukerman ( he, פנחס צוקרמן, born 16 July 1948) is an Israeli-American violinist, violist and conductor. Life and career Zukerman was born in Tel Aviv, to Jewish parents and Holocaust survivors Yehuda and Miriam Lieberman Zuk ...

Miriam Fried Miriam Fried (born 9 September 1946) is a Romanian-born Israeli classical violinist and pedagogue. Biography Miriam Fried was born in Satu Mare, Romania but moved with her family to Israel when she was aged 2. Her family settled in Herzliya. ...

Rami Bar-Niv Rami Bar-Niv ( he, רמי בר-ניב; born December 1, 1945 in Tel Aviv, Mandatory Palestine) is an Israeli pianist, composer, author, and instructor of master classes. Bar-Niv is a graduate of the Rubin Academy of Music in Tel Aviv, where he st ...

Yefim Bronfman Yefim "Fima" Naumovich Bronfman (russian: Ефим Наумович Бронфман; born April 10, 1958) is a Soviet-born Israeli-American pianist. Biography Bronfman was born in Tashkent, Uzbek SSR, and immigrated to Israel at the age of 15. H ...

, and by 2015, over 17,000 young artists had been supported. The foundation was in danger of closing in the wake of losses caused by the

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run by

Bernard Madoff Bernard Lawrence Madoff ( ; April 29, 1938April 14, 2021) was an American fraudster and financier who was the admitted mastermind of the largest Ponzi scheme in history, worth about $64.8 billion. He was at one time chairman of the NASDAQ s ...

. Since 2008 AICF has rebuilt, increasing its investments to $2.7 million. They have granted more than 2500 new scholarships and supported more than $8 million in direct support to Israeli culture. They promote Israeli culture internationally featuring Israel's cultural partnerships with more than 100 countries around the world, and are gaining support from a new generation of supporters who believe culture is the key to promoting understanding. In 2019, in celebration of its 80th anniversary, AICF launched the ICA Awards (Israeli Culture & Arts Awards), to recognize "the most impactful Israeli artists... for their contributions to the global cultural landscape". The inaugural recipients of the award, announced on October 28, 2019, are

Hanna Azoulay Hasfari Hanna Azoulay-Hasfari ( he, חנה אזולאי-הספרי; born June 29, 1960) is an Israeli actress, screenwriter, playwright, film director and a two-time winner of the Ophir Award. She is a women's rights activist, and has dedicated her c ...

(theater),

Ohad Naharin Ohad () was the third son of Simeon; he is mentioned in Genesis 46:10. Ohad may also refer to: __NOTOC__ People Surname * Daniella Ohad, American design historian Given name * Ohad Benchetrit, Canadian musician * Ohad Cohen, goalkeeper for Hapoel ...

(dance),

Ron Leshem Ron Leshem ( he, רון לשם; born December 20, 1976), is an Israeli-American television writer and producer, best known for serving as executive producer on HBO's '' Euphoria'', and for the film '' Beaufort'', which was nominated for the Acade ...

(literature),

Idan Raichel Idan Raichel ( he, עידן רייכל, ; b. 12 September 1977) is an Israeli singer-songwriter and musician known for his "Idan Raichel Project" (Hebrew: ), distinctive for its fusion of electronics, traditional Hebrew texts, and diverse mus ...

(music), and

Vania Heymann Vania Heymann ( he, וניה הימן; born March 27, 1986) is an Israeli artist and film director. His work includes music videos for artists such as Coldplay, Dua Lipa, DJ Snake, Selena Gomez, and Bob Dylan. His music videos were nominated for ...

(film).

References

External links

Official site
{{Authority control Israel–United States relations Arts organizations based in New York City Organizations established in 1939

History

See also

References

External links