Top Yedioth columnist Barnea joins American Academy for Arts and Sciences
Yedioth Aharonoth journalist joins Nobel and Pulitzer laureates as an honorary member of prestigious society.
The American Academy for Arts and Sciences, one of the most prestigious honorary societies in the United States, announced Wednesday that it had selected Yedioth Aharonoth reporter Nahum Barnea as an honorary member.
Barnea, who has previously won the Israel prize, is the first Israeli journalist to join the renowned institution.
Other new members included winners of the Nobel and Pulitzer prizes, authors, and artists. “We are honored to elect a new class of extraordinary women and men to join our distinguished membership,” said Don Randel, Chair of the Academy’s Board of Directors in a press release issued by the academy.
“Each new member is a leader in his or her field and has made a distinct contribution to the nation and the world. We look forward to engaging them in the intellectual life of this vibrant institution.”
The academy was founded in 1780 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and has 4,600 Fellows and 600 Foreign Honorary Members. In addition to Barnea, 15 non-Americans were elected to the academy this year, including only one other journalist.
Famous members include founding fathers George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, President John F. Kennedy, international statesmen Winston Churchill and Nelson Mandela, and scientists such as Albert Einstein.
The press release noted that the academy's current membership "includes more than 250 Nobel laureates and more than 60 Pulitzer Prize winners."
Barnea said Thursday that the decision "attests to the great appreciation in the United States for the free press in Israel, and for Israeli democracy, which blossoms despite from outside as well as inside."
