EMET_PRIZE_2017

Since 2015, Avi Simhon has
served as head of the National
Economic Council and economic
adviser to Prime Minister
Netanyahu.
He holds a BA in Economics and
Mathematics and an MA in Economics
from Hebrew University. He
also earned a Ph.D. in Economics
from the University of Minnesota.
Through his career, he has also
served as a professor at Hebrew University.
He has lectured at that university
and the University of Haifa.
At Hebrew University, he was the
head of the Department of Agricultural
Economics.
Prof. Simhon has played a key
role in shaping economic policy in
Israel. He specializes in economic
growth, combating public corruption
and labor economic issues. His
work has been featured in several
leading economic journals.
PROF. AVI SIMHON
As Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu’s appointee to
head the EMET prize committee,
Jacob Turkel is the newest
member. Turkel is a former
supereme court judge with nearly
40 years on the bench. In 2010, he
gained international recognition
for his work on the Turkel Committee
where he was appointed to
lead a special independent inquiry
on the Gaza Flotilla controversy.
Born in Tel Aviv to parents who
immigrated from Vienna, Turkel
grew up in Jerusalem and graduated
from Hebrew University Law
School in 1960. As the committee’s
appointed retired Supreme
Court judge, he succeeds Jacob
Kedmi, who died last summer.
JACOB TURKEL
The Jerusalem
Report
May 2017
19