The office of President Isaac Herzog announced the nine laureates for the 2025 Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor on Sunday.
The medal is awarded personally by the president to those "who, by virtue of their skills, service, or in any other way, have made an exceptional contribution to the State of Israel or to humanity." The award was initiated by then-president Shimon Peres in 2012.
The nine laureates were named as Dr. Miriam Adelson, Dr. Mathias Döpfner, Justice (ret.) George Costa Karra, Moti Malka, Prof. Avi Ohry, Prof. Dina Porat, Galila Ron-Feder Amit, Sheikh Muwaffaq Tarif, and Dr. Yossi Vardi.
"Each and every one of you is a great personal example. Your unique contribution is worthy of special recognition. The State of Israel owes you profound gratitude for your work, for your uncompromising commitment to the values of excellence, solidarity, and innovation, and for your exceptional contribution to strengthening Israeli society and defending the State of Israel in the world," President Herzog said while informing the laureates of their selection.
The award ceremony will take place at the President's Residence in Jerusalem later this year, the President's office noted.
Additional biographical information on 2025 laureates
Adelson is a scientist who, together with her late husband, Sheldon Adelson, has made "immense contributions to projects vital to the Jewish people and the State of Israel, in the fields of Jewish identity and Zionism, academia, education, research, medicine, and culture," the President's office wrote.
She also has leveraged her influence towards the release of hostages from Hamas's terror captivity in the Gaza Strip, the statement added.
Döpfner is noted as the CEO of German international media group Axel Springer and referred to as "one of the most prominent and courageous voices in Europe and globally in the long struggle against antisemitism and in his resolute support for the State of Israel."
"Döpfner acts out of deep commitment to the values of liberty and democracy and solidarity with the Jewish people," the statement noted.
"Döpfner has for years worked to strengthen Germany-Israel ties, supporting scientific, cultural, and educational collaborations, and encouraging initiatives that promote a historical and moral understanding of the Holocaust and its lessons," it added.
Karra is an Israeli-Arab-Christian from Jaffa who served as one of the first Israeli-Arabs to become a Supreme Court justice.
Malka is the founder of the Israeli Andalusian Orchestra, preserving and performing the classical Andalusi musical tradition, which blended Arab-Moorish and Jewish influences among the then-Spanish-Jewish community between the 9th and 15th centuries. The orchestra also won the Israel Prize in 2006.
Ohry is described as one of the "world's foremost physicians and researchers" in the field of rehabilitation medicine. He was taken as a prisoner of war in the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
Porat is a leading academic figure in Holocaust research, as well as the actions of the Yishuv, the Jewish community in Mandatory Palestine. Porat currently serves as the chief historian of the Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority, better known as Yad Vashem.
Amit is an author, journalist, and editor who is described as a "central figure in Israeli children’s and youth literature for decades."
Tarif is the spiritual leader of Israel's Druze community. He is deeply committed to the "unique covenant of life between the Druze community and Israeli society at large," the President's office stated.
Vardi is a leading figure in Israel's start-up nation and hi-tech industry, including playing a key role in founding Israel's earliest software companies. He has also served in key public sector roles, including as chair of government companies, director-general of a ministry, and economic adviser to the prime minister.
Notable previous laureates
The medal is not only issued to Israelis. Notably, in 2022, Herzog awarded the medal to then-US president Joe Biden, then-Czech Republic president Milos Zeman, and then-Cyprus president Nicos Anastasiades.
Peres also awarded then-US president Barack Obama and former US president Bill Clinton with the medal in 2013 and then-German chancellor Angela Merkel in 2014.
Previous laureates also include Jewish-Moroccan advisor to Morocco's King Mohammed VI, André Azoulay; former Canadian justice minister, attorney-general, and special envoy for antisemitism Irwin Cotler; former MK and billionaire Stef Wertheimer; Israeli-Druze civil servant Kamal Mansour, who aided many presidents during his public service; and former Ashkenazi chief rabbi Israel Meir Lau.