Aumann receives Nobel Prize

Hebrew University professor Israel Aumann accepts Nobel Prize 
for Economics in Stockholm ceremony Saturday evening along 
with Thomas Schelling for advancing understanding of conflict 
through game theory
Ynet

Israeli pride: Professor Israel (Robert) Aumann of Jerusalem’
s Hebrew University has accepted the Nobel Prize in 
Economics in Stockholm, Sweden, Saturday evening.

Aumann’s excited family members were also on hand to watch 
the emotional moment, as Sweden’s King Gustaf presented 
the prize to the Israeli scholar.

Over the weekend, Professor Aumann visited Stockholm’s 
major synagogue, where he was warmly received. Israeli Deputy 
Ambassador in Stockholm Ran Yaakovi told Ynet Aumann 
“brings great honor to Israel.”

Yaakovi, who attended the ceremony, told Ynet about the 
emotional event.

“From where I was sitting during the ceremony, I was proud to 
see many kippot (Jewish headgear),)” he said. “The Jewish 
community, which comprises about 15,000 people, received 
him very warmly.”

The modest Aumann, known as a fan of trains, was particularly 
touched during a reception at the Israeli embassy after receiving 
a set of toy trains from one of Stockholm’s Jewish community’s 
leading figures and warmly expressed his gratitude.

Professor Jurgen Weibull, who presented the prize Saturday, 
said wars and other conflicts have caused great human 
suffering, but noted that while some groups are able to advance 
cooperation, others suffer from conflicts. 

Aumann and Schelling addressed the issue using a different 
point of view, arguing that game theory had the potential to 
redesign the analysis of human interaction, Weibull said. 

The announcement of Aumann’s win, along with Maryland 
University’s Thomas Schelling, was announced by the prize 
committee two months ago. The two won the prize “for having 
enhanced our understanding of conflict and cooperation through 
game theory analysis.” 

Following the announcement, Aumann said he was very excited, 
but added: “I don’t really know that much about economics.” 

Professor Aumann, a religious Jew, was born in Frankfurt, 
Germany, in 1930. In 1955, he received his doctorate in 
mathematics from MIT. He began working at Jerusalem’s 
Hebrew university shortly thereafter, in 1956. 

Aumann won the Israel Prize for Economics in 1994 and was 
also awarded other prizes and honors by leading universities 
and institutions worldwide.

Aumann is the eighth Israeli to win the prestigious prize. 
The seven others are:

Shmuel Yosef (Shay) Agnon, Literature, 1966 
Menachem Begin, Peace, 1978 
Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres, Peace, 1994 
Daniel Kahneman, Economics, 2002 
Aaron Ciechanover and Avram Hershko, Chemistry, 2004