Weizmann President Prof. Alon Chen bestowed on Germany’s Ambassador Steffen Seibert the Weizmann Award in the Sciences and Humanities in a ceremony on 12 May 2026.
Steffen Seibert “packed into four years what others accomplish in twice or three times that,” said Prof. Chen. During this time, he has been an outspoken supporter of Israel’s right to self-determination and defense and an advocate for strengthening Israel-European ties. He also played a highly active role in efforts to secure the release of the hostages in Gaza.
“Steffen truly went above and beyond. He learned Hebrew and spent his few free hours and days immersing himself in Israeli culture. As someone who worked in Germany at the Max Planck Institute for 7 years and tried to learn German, this is very impressive. He hiked Israeli trails and got to know the land much like Israelis have a tradition of going into nature, absorbing the surroundings, and appreciating the history and the landscape. He was a friend to many, and I know these will be lasting friendships.
“In doing all these things, Steffen didn’t just foster a closer personal connection with Israel and the Israeli people. He expressed this connection on behalf of the German people, and nurtured an even tighter bond between Germany and the State of Israel. The Germany-Israel relationship is the gold standard of diplomatic and scientific ties. In fact, it was the early scientific ties between our two countries in the late 1950s and early 1960s that paved the way to full diplomatic relations between our two countries which were established in 1965.
“Steffen deepened this historic relationship by articulating a shared vision for our two countries. One built on the foundations of science and technology, education, democracy—and that aims for a common purpose of advancing prosperity and peace and improving humanity.
“Thank you, Steffen, for being a friend and an ally. Thank you for being a voice of reason at a time when it’s needed most, and for being a constructive and tireless solution-maker. Thank you for being a partner in building a new reality in our region.”
Source: WIS