Expert on India research to win Israel Prize for religious studies and philosophy

Education Minister Naftali Bennett approved the recommendation of the prize committee headed by Professor Shaul Shaked and offered his praise to the professor.

By LIDAR GRAVÉ-LAZI
Updated: FEBRUARY 16, 2016 04:32
Professor David Shulman. (photo credit: TZAHY LERNER/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)
Professor David Shulman.
(photo credit: TZAHY LERNER/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)
Prof. David Shulman of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem will be awarded the Israel Prize for religious studies and philosophy, the Education Ministry announced.
Education Minister Naftali Bennett approved the recommendation of the prize committee headed by Prof. Shaul Shaked and offered his praise to the US-born professor.
The other members of the prize committee included: Prof. Gideon Bohak, Prof. Deborah Diamant, and Prof. Samuel Harvey.
In its decision, which it announced Sunday night, the prize committee stated that Prof. Shulman is a “brilliant and groundbreaking researcher of the religion, literature, and culture of southern India.”
“Prof. Shulman is known for a variety of publications in these areas, which has bought him renown in Israel and in the world and has won cooperation with leading researchers in the field. One of the characterizing aspects of his research work is the command over a wide variety of languages including Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam,” the prize committee wrote.
“His outstanding research in diversity deals with different literary issues and numerous research topics including: religion, myth, art, folklore and imagination. In Israel he founded the field of study of India and the majority of researchers of India in Israel are his students.”
The Israel Prize is largely regarded as the state’s highest honor. It is presented annually on Independence Day in a state ceremony in Jerusalem in the presence of the president, the prime minister, the Knesset speaker and the Supreme Court president.