Two American Artists, Recent Emigres to Israel, Awarded Jerusalem Artist’s Prize

Two former New York residents, who recently emigrated to Israel, have been awarded the Jerusalem Artist’s Prize for innovative work in pencils and oils. The Jerusalem Municipality announced here recently that Joshua Neustein, 30-year-old Brooklynite, and Mrs. Naomi Sultanik Davidson, formerly of Buffalo, were the winners of the $300 cash prize which is awarded annually. The works of both artists are currently being shown in the autumn exhibition of the Jerusalem Painters and Sculptors Association. Mr. Neustein, who was born in Poland and grew up in Borough Park, Brooklyn, graduated from The City College of New York, and studied at the Arts Students League and Pratt Institute in New York before moving to Israel in 1968. The vivid and stark dramas being played out on the Israeli scene every day, the colorful and unusual characters who dwell there, and the breathtaking views that Israel is renowned for, attracted him to Israel where he is occupied full time with his painting. Mr. Neustein’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Alter Neustein, who still reside in Boro Park, beamed proudly when talking of their son and told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that “believe it or not, he has been painting since the age of two.”