Alexander Lubotzky

Lubotzky completed his doctorate at age 23.[1] His upbringing was shaped by a politically engaged household: his father was involved in the Irgun and the Herut movement, and Lubotzky recalled that politics was present in the family home from his childhood.[1] His subsequent career brought together mathematics, political service, and Orthodox Jewish life.

He was among the founders of the Israeli settlement of Efrat and was described as belonging to the moderate Israeli right.[1] A Jerusalem Post commentary about the 2018 Israel Prize recipients reported that Lubotzky persuaded the organizers of a prestigious mathematics conference to reschedule his lecture so that it would not conflict with Shabbat.[5]

For most of his professional life, Lubotzky was a faculty member at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In 2021, he moved to the Weizmann Institute of Science.[1] At the Hebrew University's Einstein Institute of Mathematics, he was a colleague of mathematician Elon Lindenstrauss. Lubotzky described the institute as having achieved broad international recognition.[6]

The Israel Prize committee stated that Lubotzky had solved many important open problems, opened new lines of research that attracted other researchers, and influenced multiple areas of mathematics and computer science.[3] It singled out expander graphs and their applications as an area of particular impact.[3] His work on the Platonov conjecture in group theory illustrates his approach to difficult problems. After working intermittently on the conjecture for about 15 years, he thought of an example that would disprove it during a flight to a conference while he was serving in the Knesset.[1] He said that the idea led to significant progress during a period when he was away from full-time academic life.[1]

In discussing mathematics and Israeli intellectual culture, Lubotzky described mathematics as the "secular Talmud"—learning pursued for its own sake that had nevertheless brought practical benefits to humanity.[6] He also pointed to Israeli participation in the International Mathematical Union and the Einstein Institute's international recognition as evidence of Israeli mathematics' global reach.[6] In a 1997 Knesset speech commemorating the Vilna Gaon, Lubotzky identified himself as a mathematician and discussed the Gaon's engagement with mathematics. He described the Gaon's book Ayal Meshulash as covering geometry and trigonometry and connected those subjects with Talmudic study and calculation of the Hebrew calendar.[7] He also invoked the idea that "Torah and wisdom are joined together."[7]

Lubotzky remained engaged with academic work during his Knesset service, periodically attending lectures and seminars at the Hebrew University's Givat Ram campus.[1] He said that his absence from full-time university life did not prevent important research progress, as demonstrated by his work on the Platonov conjecture.[1] He also commented publicly on other mathematicians' research. In discussing David Kazhdan's receipt of the Shaw Prize, Lubotzky described the Kazhdan Property (T) as an original idea that found applications in representation theory and, later, computer science.[8]

Lubotzky served in the Knesset from 1996 to 1999 as a representative of the Third Way Party.[1] He was placed fourth on the party list, a position considered unlikely to secure a seat for much of the campaign, and recalled being surprised when he learned on election night that he had been elected.[1]

His principal reason for entering parliament was not science policy but religious-state questions concerning "Who is a Jew" and the possibility of a serious rupture between Israel and Diaspora Jewry.[1] In the Knesset, he also served on the Science Committee and headed a committee responsible for preparing Israel for the year 2000 computer bug.[1]

Lubotzky was a member of the Ne'eman Commission, which addressed questions of Jewish conversion and recognition. He described the commission's proposed solution as the basis for a bridge between Orthodox and progressive Judaism.[1] This was Lubotzky's own assessment of the proposal's significance. His parliamentary term therefore combined work on religious-state relations with responsibilities involving science and technology.

The Israel Prize is Israel's most prestigious award and recognizes excellence in a field or a strong contribution to Israeli culture.[4] It was first awarded in 1953 and has been presented annually since then. Recipients must be Israeli citizens or Israeli organizations.[4]

Lubotzky is listed as the 2018 recipient in Mathematics and Computer Science.[2] Then-Education Minister Naftali Bennett announced the award in the fields of mathematics research and computer science research.[3] The prize committee stated that Lubotzky had solved numerous important open problems, established new research directions that attracted other researchers, and influenced several areas of mathematics and computer science, particularly expander graphs and their applications.[3]

A Jerusalem Post commentary placed Lubotzky among 2018 recipients associated with Religious Zionism and other sectors of Israeli society.[5] The combined mathematics-and-computer-science category reflected the committee's assessment that his work had consequences across both disciplines.[3]

Lubotzky's career is distinguished by the combination of sustained mathematical research and elected public service. He made significant progress on the Platonov conjecture while serving in parliament and continued attending academic lectures and seminars during his Knesset term.[1] The Israel Prize committee emphasized both his solutions to open problems and his role in creating research directions that drew other mathematicians and computer scientists.[3]

His commentary on mathematics and Jewish intellectual culture added a public dimension to his work. By describing mathematics as the "secular Talmud" and discussing the Vilna Gaon's mathematical interests, he presented mathematical learning as compatible with, and connected to, classical Jewish scholarship.[6][7] He also emphasized the Einstein Institute's international recognition and the participation of Israeli mathematicians in international institutions.[6]

Lubotzky's move to the Weizmann Institute in 2021 began a new institutional chapter after most of his academic career had been spent at the Hebrew University.[1] His record encompasses original research, participation in Israeli mathematical institutions, commentary on the work of mathematicians such as David Kazhdan, and service in the Knesset.[1][8]

Lubotzky's public career intersected with contested political and religious questions. He was among the founders of Efrat and was described as belonging to the moderate Israeli right.[1] He said that he entered the Knesset chiefly because of disputes over "Who is a Jew" and the risk of a rupture between Israel and Diaspora Jewry.[1] As a member of the Ne'eman Commission, he described its proposed solution as the basis for a bridge between Orthodox and progressive Judaism; this characterization represented his personal assessment of the commission's significance.[1]