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American mathematician David Mumford receiving the Wolf Foundation Prize from President Shimon Peres. (Daniel Bar-On / JINI)
U.S. prof. gives Israeli prize money to Palestinian university
By Ofri Ilani
Tags: Bir Zeit University 

The American mathematician David Mumford, co-winner of the 2008 Wolf Foundation Prize in Mathematics, announced upon receiving the award yesterday that he will donate the money to Bir Zeit University, near Ramallah, and to Gisha, an Israeli organization that advocates for Palestinian freedom of movement.

"I decided to donate my share of the Wolf Prize to enable the academic community in occupied Palestine to survive and thrive," Mumford told Haaretz. "I am very grateful for the prize, but I believe that Palestinian students should have an opportunity to go elsewhere to acquire an education. Students in the West Bank and Gaza today do not have an opportunity to do that."

The Wolf Foundation awards prizes of $100,000 each year "to outstanding scientists and artists for achievements in the interest of mankind and friendly relations among peoples," its web site says. It is considered one of the most prestigious international honors in mathematics.
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Mumford, professor emeritus at Brown University and Harvard University, shared this year's prize with Pierre Deligne and Phillip Griffiths of Princeton University. According to the Wolf Foundation, he was recognized for his "work on algebraic surfaces; on geometric invariant theory; and for laying the foundations of the modern algebraic theory of the moduli space of curves and theta functions."

Mumford, who received the prize from President Shimon Peres in the Knesset, said he has already contacted Bir Zeit University and Gisha, and they have agreed to accept his donation. "The achievements I accomplished in mathematics were made possible thanks to my being able to move freely and exchange ideas with other scholars," he said. "It would not have been possible without an international consensus on an exchange of ideas. Mathematics works best when people can move and get together. That's its elixir of life. But the people of occupied Palestine don't have an opportunity to do that. The school system is fighting for its life, and mobility is very limited."

"When I visited Israel in 1995, there was a feeling of hope, but that is not the situation today," he added. "Education for people in the occupied territories gives them a future. The alternative is chaos." He said his decision was not aimed at Israel. "I have tremendous regard for Israel, which is without a doubt a major force in the mathematics world. But unfortunately, the Palestinians cannot take part in this prosperity."
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  1.   Bravo Professor Mumford!!!! 09:11  |  Janice 26/05/08
  2.   Math Prof gives prize to Bir Zeit. 09:26  |  David Nigel Braham 26/05/08
  3.   That`s what happens when you have your head in the clouds 09:26  |  Gili 26/05/08
  4.   That is his right 09:53  |  Reid 26/05/08
  5.   Math Prize 09:55  |  John Stein 26/05/08
  6.   What about Iranian nuclear scientist & Hamas rocket scientist? 10:20  |  David 26/05/08
  7.   There are honourable people out there 10:23  |  Raymond Deane 26/05/08
  8.   Tear to my eye 10:35  |  wateryeyes 26/05/08
  9.   What about Arab oil money? 10:35  |  Gilad 26/05/08
  10.   a posturing professor 10:42  |  yair 26/05/08
  11.   Smart guy! 10:42  |  Guido 26/05/08
  12.   The only hope for the Palestinians 10:44  |  Shlomo from Tel-Aviv 26/05/08
  13.   to No. 3 10:51  |  Roslyn Steinberg 26/05/08
  14.   Good boy, he could have spent it on cookies and prodtitutes 10:55  |  Al Gebra in Bir Zai 26/05/08
  15.   if the silly prof thinks he is giving us one in the eye 10:58  |  yair 26/05/08
  16.   #7 stick to music raymond your no good at that either 11:00  |  victor hardman 26/05/08
  17.   roslyn steinberg "the palestinians are in a rut" 11:02  |  yair 26/05/08
  18.   Bravo ! 11:03  |  Fadi 26/05/08
  19.   To 10 & 12 11:11  |  David 26/05/08
  20.   Bitter People 11:18  |  KeepingItRealJew 26/05/08
  21.   David Mumford - kol ha kavod 11:25  |  Chanalau, Tova 26/05/08
  22.   Show me ONE Arab university ANYWHERE that produces 11:28  |  spade 26/05/08
  23.   Mumford, I dropped a tear 11:33  |  Bandar Michaels 26/05/08
  24.   palestinans are in a rut /yair 11:38  |  maria 26/05/08
  25.   #21 tova the bad and more idiot slogans 11:39  |  victor hardman 26/05/08
  26.   The Palestinians have had many chances to build universities 11:39  |  De 26/05/08
  27.   To David #19 - "They are not humans, they are terrorists" 11:44  |  pete 26/05/08
  28.   show me ONE JEWISH university! 11:47  |  eve 26/05/08
  29.   The professura had not changed the world yet. 11:49  |  TonyL 26/05/08
  30.   #16 victor hates people with a sense of humanity 11:52  |  Stevo 26/05/08
  31.   No. 22, you are right on target! 11:56  |  26/05/08
  32.   #25 israeli propaganda diversion and blaming 11:57  |  eve 26/05/08
  33.   So many wonderful, fair Jewish people in this world, BUT...... 12:03  |  Swiss (Dino) 26/05/08
  34.   barbarity to modernity 12:05  |  maria 26/05/08
  35.   Bravo Professor Mumford 12:16  |  Sylvie 26/05/08
  36.   Thank you Prof. Mumford, Israel will find a way 12:25  |  El-Birawi 26/05/08
  37.   To Eve 12:27  |  David 26/05/08
  38.   slamming Daniel Pipes 12:29  |  Oldtimer 26/05/08
  39.   #33DINO - the reason is simple 12:31  |  Jay A Friedman 26/05/08
  40.   #10, yair 12:32  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 26/05/08
  41.   re #22 `Show me ONE Arab university...` 12:34  |  Colin Wright 26/05/08
  42.   will he ask for his donation back? 12:43  |  meir 26/05/08
  43.   EVE.confused?? 1. Finklestein left the next day. 12:45  |  PETER SM 26/05/08
  44.   # 22 Spade 12:45  |  Nick Ferriman 26/05/08
  45.   Fool with brains, but no common sense 12:45  |  Harvey (Chaim) 26/05/08
  46.   But... 12:46  |  Esther 26/05/08
  47.   #35 Sylvie 13:22  |  Question Mark 26/05/08
  48.   341 colin and comparisons try the usa for size 13:30  |  victor hardman 26/05/08
  49.   # 39 Jay A Friedman 13:34  |  Swiss (Dino) 26/05/08
  50.   # David Nigel Braham 13:38  |  Nick Ferriman 26/05/08
  51.   pals and israelis 13:52  |  vladimir 26/05/08
  52.   # 47 Question Mark 13:54  |  Swiss (Dino) 26/05/08
  53.   The Help the Palestinians Need 13:57  |  Ronnie Wolman 26/05/08
  54.   Isn`t that nice 13:57  |  Mashiach 26/05/08
  55.   EL BIRAWI How come Israel did not prevent the Gaza greenhouses? 13:58  |  PETER SM 26/05/08
  56.   i hope he got the standing ovation he deserved! 13:59  |  eric 26/05/08
  57.   Yair, No. 17 14:01  |  Roslyn 26/05/08
  58.   show me ONE JEWISH university! / still waiting 14:04  |  eve 26/05/08
  59.   Donation to Hamas and Fatah military wing 14:10  |  Nadav 26/05/08
  60.   # 10 Yair 14:10  |  Nick Ferriman 26/05/08
  61.   #53 the help the WORLD needs (white man speaks again) 14:11  |  eve 26/05/08
  62.   my respects to the good professor! 14:12  |  www.kibush.co.il 26/05/08
  63.   Waste of money 14:25  |  Academic Jew 26/05/08
  64.   EVE. Arab "pro peace recognise Israel" Arab universities?? 14:32  |  PETER SM 26/05/08
  65.   #22 Anonymous poster displaying his not so anonymous ignorance 14:32  |  Ben Alofs 26/05/08
  66.   #52 Swiss Dino 14:32  |  Question Mark 26/05/08
  67.   Mumford donation 14:41  |  Dr. Eugene Reiss 26/05/08
  68.   Question Mark?? 14:41  |  sylvie 26/05/08
  69.   Question Mark?? 14:42  |  Sylvie 26/05/08
  70.   Eve, you dummy, Israel has plenty of Universities, Pals, not much 14:45  |  POP 26/05/08
  71.   Siege of Gaza from day one 14:50  |  El-Birawi 26/05/08
  72.