France Honors DJ Offer Nissim with Cultural Order Knight Rank

On the occasion of Pride Week, France’s ambassador to Israel, Frédéric Journes, awarded Israeli DJ Offer Nissim the Knight rank of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, the highest distinction in the French cultural order. Nissim, widely known as “Ofra,” received the honor before his performance at the Tel Aviv Pride Parade.

The award, created in 1957 by the French Culture Ministry, recognizes people who have made major contributions to the arts and literature. It is not limited to French citizens and is also given to foreigners who have stood out in cultural life. Previous Israeli recipients include Lior Raz, Yaakov Agam and Gil Shohat, while international honorees have included Clint Eastwood, Bob Dylan, Roger Moore and Paul Anka.

Journes, who is openly gay, said he felt the emotion of presenting the decoration backstage just before Nissim’s show, calling him “the god of DJs in the Israeli queer scene.” He added that Nissim had made people dance everywhere and introduced the world to Jean-Jacques Goldman and Mylène Farmer, and congratulated him on “this well-deserved honor.”

Nissim said the award was “a tremendous honor” and thanked the French Culture Ministry for recognizing his work. He said French music and culture have been a major part of his art over the years, and thanked the partners and audiences who have accompanied him in Israel and around the world.