BICOM

Actress Helen Mirren hosted the prestigious Genesis Prize award ceremony in Jerusalem, having spoken about her admiration for Israel and rejection of calls to boycott the country.

Mirren, who first visited Israel as a volunteer on a kibbutz in 1967, told AP: “I am a believer in Israel … I think this is an extraordinary country filled with very, very extraordinary people.”

She added: “It’s just a lucky, for me, accident in my life that I have had this privilege.”

Asked about attempts to discourage artists from visiting or working with Israel, Mirren was unequivocal. She said: “I think that art is an incredibly important way of communication… The artists of the country are the people you need to communicate with and make a relationship with and learn from and build upon. So I absolutely don’t believe in the boycott, and here I am.”

Mirren herself has been handed the inaugural Jerusalem of Gold Award for Excellence in

the Arts and Humanities by Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat. At a ceremony in Jerusalem’s City Hall, Barkat said: “Helen Mirren is a symbol of status and unprecedented artistic success serving as an inspiration to millions around the world.”

Accepting the award, Mirren said: “It is an indescribable pleasure to be your guest of honour in Jerusalem and an incredible honour to be the first to receive the Jerusalem of Gold medal.”

The Genesis Prize is worth one million dollars and is known as the ‘Jewish Nobel’. It is funded jointly by Israel’s government, the Genesis Fund, and the quasi-governmental Jewish Agency. The prize was this year awarded to Israeli-American violinist Itzhak Perlman for his achievements as a musician, teacher and advocate for the disabled. Comedian Jay Leno hosted the first two Genesis Prize awards ceremonies.