An Israeli economist working at Stanford University and a Jewish man from Kansas City, Mo., who studies white supremacist groups received grants from the MacArthur Foundation. The awards, popularly dubbed the “genius grants,” are among the most coveted because recipients can use the money in any way they wish without having to report how they use the funds. Avner Greif, a graduate of Tel Aviv University, was granted $265,000, and was cited by the foundation for his use of game theory and other modeling techniques to create greater understanding of the conditions that lead to social conflict or cooperation. Leonard Zeskind, said he would use his $295,000 award to complete a book on hate groups. Zeskind is a board member of the local Jewish community relations council.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.