If you were wondering what being an ultra-rich Jew pays these days, the answer seems to be: One million dollars.
That’s how much Michael Bloomberg – outgoing mayor of New York and self-made gazillionaire – will be given as the recipient of the first annual Genesis Prize. According to their website, the Genesis Prize was created to “encourage the younger generation of Jews to reaffirm their Jewish identity and to regain that pride in our people by highlighting the inherent Jewish values which inspire the laureate’s achievement. The prize is reportedly backed by “a group of Russian Jewish oligarchs, right-wing Israeli politicians, and American Jewish communal leaders”.
Prize foundation president Wayne Firestone spoke with the Jewish Daily Forward this past April, and outlined his vision for Genesis:
What I’m hoping to do is to build an engagement platform for young adults, to allow them to meet these individuals, hear their stories, potentially interact with them directly.
Because nothing builds an “engagement platform” for the Jewish youth quite like a cabal of rich-o’s giving a million bucks to a septuagenarian billionaire. So, thanks Genesis – you totally get us!
For what it’s worth, Bloomberg promises to donate his cool million to an as-of-yet unnamed charity sometime in 2014.
For what it’s also worth, one million bucks represents 0.0032% of Bloomberg’s estimated fortune.
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