Israeli President Herzog awards Presidential Medal of Honor to 11 figures
Israeli President Isaac Herzog, during a ceremony at the President's Residence, awarded Israel’s Presidential Medal of Honor to 11 figures in science, culture, academia and public service. The award was presented to Yona Elian-Keshet; Professors Hossam Haick, Mooli Lahad, Hefziba Lifshitz, Yossi Leshem and Uriel Reichman; as well as Avi Moses, Ziva Mekonen, Moshe Nissim, Rabbi Haim Sabato and Yehuda Eder, The Jerusalem Post reports.
The medal was established by President Shimon Peres in 2012. It recognizes people who, through their abilities, service or otherwise, have made an exceptional contribution to the State of Israel or to humanity. It is Israel’s highest civilian award, honoring leading figures from Israel and other countries in public administration, culture and public service.
Scientists and educators among the laureates
Those honored include Technion specialist in nanotechnology and biomedicine Hossam Haick; psychologist and Tel-Hai University Professor Mooli Lahad, who specializes in psychological resilience, psychological trauma, post-traumatic stress and emergency intervention; and Hefziba Lifshitz of Bar-Ilan University, a researcher of the educational potential of people with intellectual disabilities.
The medal was also awarded to ornithologist and ecologist Yossi Leshem, who has studied bird migration for nearly five decades, and legal scholar and educational entrepreneur Uriel Reichman, the founder, president and chairman of Reichman University.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Figures in culture and the public sector
Ziva Mekonen was honored for her public activity and the work of Mothers on Guard, an organization of which she is the founder and CEO. The organization combats violence and racism against Israelis of Ethiopian descent. Avi Moses advocated for more than three decades for victims of terrorism and the families of those killed, and also headed the Organization of Terror Victims on a voluntary basis for a long time.
The award also went to musician, producer and founder of the Rimon music school Yehuda Eder, and theatre, film and television actress Yona Elian-Keshet. The laureates include former Knesset member and minister of justice, finance, industry and trade Moshe Nissim, as well as Rabbi, writer, and co-founder and head of the Birkat Moshe yeshiva in Maale Adumim, Haim Sabato.
During the ceremony, Herzog said that the laureates exemplify the ability to influence not only Israeli society but also the world. The president also called for unity during the election period, stressing that elections are not a civil war.
