Hollywood actor Michael Douglas was in Israel Thursday to receive the Genesis Prize, which honours individuals who excel in their professional fields and have shown "engagement and dedication to the Jewish community or the State of Israel."
Michael's father, Kirk Douglas, born Issur Danielovitch, is Jewish, while his mother is not, which would not make him Jewish under traditional religious law.
In a March opinion piece in the Los Angeles Times denouncing anti-Semitism, he described how his son encountered his first anti-Semitic incident.
"While some Jews believe that not having a Jewish mother makes me not Jewish, I have learned the hard way that those who hate do not make such fine distinctions," wrote Douglas.
The 70-year-old actor was to receive the 1-million-dollar prize from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a Thursday night ceremony in Jerusalem, presided over by comedian and former NBC The Tonight Show host Jay Leno.
"Mr Douglas plans to direct his prize money toward promoting activities designed to raise awareness of inclusiveness and diversity in Judaism," the Genesis Prize Foundation announced on its website ahead of the presentation.
Accompanied by wife Catherine Zeta-Jones, 45, and their children, he met Netanyahu at the prime minister's office, as well as former Israeli president Shimon Peres at the Peres Centre for Peace.
Douglas also visited an attack tunnel dug by Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory.
