Israeli soil scientist Dr. Daniel Hillel was named the 2012 World Food Prize Laureate in June for pioneering "a radically innovative way of bringing water to crops in arid and dry-land regions."
The ceremony was held at the U.S. State Department, with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton delivering the keynote address.
Amb. Kenneth Quinn, president of the World Food Prize Foundation, noted that Dr. Hillel's work was not just a scientific contribution but a social one as well.
“Confronting
hunger can bring diverse people together across even the broadest
political, ethnic, religious or diplomatic differences," Quinn said.
“Dr. Hillel's work and motivation has been to bridge such divisions and
to promote peace and understanding in the Middle East by advancing a
breakthrough achievement addressing a problem that so many countries
share in common: water scarcity. It is significant that Dr. Hillel’s
nomination for the World Food Prize contained letters of support from
individuals and organizations in Jordan, Egypt and the United Arab
Emirates."
You can read the entire announcement posted back in June here.
As we enter prepare for the holiday of Sukkot (looking just a bit past the Yamim Noraim, the High Holidays), when we recite prayers and celebrate the life-giving nature of rain, and, on the world stage, sadly witness once again demonstrations of hate and violence between religions and peoples, how wonderful to know that Dr. Hillel has been recognized for contributing so much to easing hunger and bringing dignity and channels of peace to people all over the world
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