Herzog to honor civilian heroes of October 7 with highest civilian award

President Isaac Herzog has added a new award to the list of honors he confers each year. In light of the extraordinary heroism displayed by civilians on and since October 7, 2023, Herzog will, for the first time, confer civilian awards for heroism at a ceremony to be held after Simchat Torah.

Herzog decided to initiate the new awards after hearing from families and witnesses of the extraordinary bravery of people who tried to rescue others from the Hamas invasion or who fought off Hamas, sometimes with little more than handguns.

Most of the awards will be conferred posthumously, but they will be of some comfort to bereaved families in the realization that one doesn’t have to wear a uniform to be a hero or a heroine.

The courage of the recipients was evident from the very beginning of hostilities as they put the safety and security of others ahead of their own.

The state's highest civilian award

The award is intended as the state’s highest civilian award and will be conferred at an official state ceremony at the President’s Residence on October 30.

Herzog sees this as a significant means of according heroes and heroines the recognition and honor due to them even though most can no longer experience this personally. But it is important, he believes, to demonstrate Israeli pride and hope in their actions.