Mathematicians Hillel Furstenberg and Gregory Margulis share this year’s Abel Prize, the mathematics equivalent of a Nobel. Furstenberg, 84, of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Margulis, 74, of Yale University, are retired professors.

The citation for the prize, awarded by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, lauds the two mathematicians “for pioneering the use of methods from probability and dynamics in group theory, number theory and combinatorics.” The two will split the award money of 7.5 million Norwegian kroner, or more than $700,000.

This year’s Abel winners were trailblazers. François Labourie, a mathematician at the University of Côte d’Azur in France who served on the Abel committee, said that most mathematicians in the middle of the 20th century did not think much of probability, which was at the bottom in the hierarchy of mathematics, below number theory, algebra and differential geometry. “But Dr. Furstenberg and Dr. Margulis found ways to show how its methods could solve abstract problems,” Dr. Labourie said. “They were some of the first persons to show that probabilistic methods are central to mathematics.”

Harvey Weinstein was convicted Feb. 24 at his sexual assault trial, found guilty of a criminal sex act at his apartment in 2006, and third-degree rape of a woman in 2013. The jury found him not guilty on the most serious charge, predatory sexual assault, that could have resulted in a life sentence. The verdict followed weeks of often harrowing and excruciatingly graphic testimony from a string of accusers, who told of rapes, forced oral sex, groping, masturbation, and lewd propositions. The conviction was seen as a long-overdue reckoning for Weinstein after years of whispers about his behavior that gave rise to #MeToo, the global movement to encourage women to come forward and hold powerful men accountable for their sexual misconduct. The jury of seven men and five women took five days to find him guilty.

The New York Times and The New Yorker exposed his alleged misconduct in stories that would win the Pulitzer Prize.

On March 11, Weinstein was sentenced to 20 years for criminal sexual act in the first degree and three years for rape in the third degree against two women in New York, the sentences to be served consecutively. He was also sentenced to 10 years of post-release supervision for both charges.

Weinstein also faces charges in Los Angeles, where allegations against him came from more than 90 women, including actresses Gwyneth Paltrow, Salma Hayek and Uma Thurman.

You may not know the name Nasrin Kadri, but if you follow pop music at all, you will. In an opinion piece by Matti Friedman for The New York Times, he wrote, “Who is the ultimate Israeli of 2020, the personification of the country’s soul? The correct answer is Nasrin Kadri, an apparition in a glittering crystal minidress rising from beneath the stage to as burst of strobes and smoke and 9,000 teenagers shrieking “Nasreeeeen!” at a concert in Tel Aviv. She is an Arab girl from Nazareth, a Muslim who converted to Judaism, claimed and adored by both cultures as a once-in-a-generation talent, a singer of Mizrahi pop, and the acknowledged queen of the Israeli pop scene. Photo: Dan Balilty, New York Times.

A memoir by Woody Allen was canceled by the Hachette Book Group after approximately 75 staff members staged a walk-out protest. The protest came after Ronan Farrow, Allen’s son with Mia Farrow, cut ties with the publisher over its decision to publish Allen, who has for years faced allegations from Dylan Farrow, his daughter with Mia Farrow and sister of Ronan Farrow that he sexually abused her when she was seven.

The memoir, titled A Propos of Nothing, originally scheduled for sale in April 2020, is an account of Woody Allen’s personal life and also his professional life. All rights have been returned to the author.

The Genesis Prize Foundation has announced Israeli politician and human rights activist Natan Sharansky will be honored as the 2020 laureate. Hollywood couple Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones will co-host the Genesis Prize ceremony in Jerusalem on June 18, at Jerusalem’s International Convention Center.

The foundation is also planning to honor Michael Douglas’s father, Kirk Douglas, who died Feb. 5. “We are honored to have the opportunity to host the ceremony honoring a true Jewish hero, Natan Sharansky,” Michael Douglas said in a statement. “Coming to Jerusalem is also important for our family as a way to honor the memory of my father. He adored Israel and had a special connection to Jerusalem. His Jewish faith and passion for his heritage have been guiding lights for me, passed down to my children.”

The Genesis prize honors “extraordinary individuals for their outstanding professional achievements, contributions to humanity, commitment to Jewish values and Israel.” Michael Douglas was awarded the $1 million Genesis Prize in 2015.

This month’s Oculus selection is a sculpture, titled “Samurai,” by Graham Diamond, a member of the shul’s Judaism and Art group. The medium is buff clay that has been glazed and twice fired. The artist has acknowledged a particular interest in Japanese culture, philosophy, history and the centuries-long military influence of the Samurai warriors. Samurai, Diamond said, known particularly for their courage and expertise with weapons, were also educated, cultured, and often were writers and artists, such as this Samurai, who is holding a brush.

Photo by Graham Diamond

This just in: Jewish fashion tycoon Michael Lewis, a South Africa native whose fortune is estimated at about $100 million, is engaged to Lady Kitty Spencer, the niece of the late Princess Diana of Wales. Reportedly, Lady Kitty is converting to Judaism. Lewis was married before in an Orthodox ceremony.

Friends of the couple said that Lady Kitty is taking religious instruction in preparation for the marriage. The two have been seen in London attending synagogue together.