Dr. Albert Bourla's Genesis Prize Ceremony

On June 29, 2022, Dr. Albert Bourla received the ninth Genesis Prize at a ceremony at the Jerusalem Theatre in Jerusalem, Israel.

Hosted by actress Sarah Rafferty, the ceremony featured performances by Greek-Israeli singer-songwriter Yehuda Poliker and Israeli pop star Shiri Maimon as well as a moving musical tribute to the people of Ukraine. The Genesis Prize Foundation premiered the video “Jews in Medicine: A Legacy of Healing and Hope,” exploring the impact of Jews on the medical field from biblical times to the modern-day fight against the COVID pandemic.

President of Israel Isaac Herzog presented the award to Dr. Bourla. In his address, President Herzog commended Dr. Bourla for saving lives, reflecting on the age-old Jewish dictate that “he who saves a life, saves the entire world.”

Reflecting on the award, Dr. Bourla shared:

“I am honored and deeply humbled to receive the Genesis Prize. Honored because I never set out to be famous, and I never imagined that I would one day be up here with the illustrious nominees and past awardees—artists, philanthropists, and statesmen and stateswomen who show the world the best that the Jewish people have to offer. And humbled because this is not my award—it belongs to all Pfizer colleagues who worked tirelessly in the middle of a global pandemic to make the ‘impossible possible’ and give the world a chance to return to normalcy. Every life is precious and we must confront our challenges with courage, humility and perseverance. My Pfizer colleagues lived these values, and I am proud to be here in Israel to celebrate them and their extraordinary achievement.”