Israeli President Isaac Herzog bestowed the country’s highest civil honor, the Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor, on eight Israeli citizens and a German publisher last night for their contributions to the country.

“Each and every one of our honorees tonight is a person of spirit and action, of vision and purpose,” Herzog said at the event, which was hosted at the President’s Residence. “They refused to accept the world as it is and chose instead to work for the world as it can and should be. Each of them, in their own way, has changed a corner of our reality and made it better, and for that, our gratitude and appreciation will endure forever.”

The medal, which was created in 2012 by then-President Shimon Peres, was awarded to: philanthropist Dr. Miriam Adelson, tech entrepreneur Yossi Vardi, Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Muwaffaq Tarif, Arab Israeli jurist George Costa Karra, Israeli Andalusian Orchestra founder Moti Malka; rehabilitation expert Dr. Avi Ohry, Yad Vashem chief historian Dina Porat, journalist Galila Ron-Feder Amit and Mathias Döpfner, CEO of the German media firm Axel Springer.

Speaking on behalf of the recipients, Adelson noted her efforts on behalf of the hostages taken captive by terrorists during the Oct. 7 terror attacks. The Israeli-born GOP donor has been credited with encouraging President Donald Trump to take on the issue of the captives, facilitating regular meetings between the White House and hostage families. 

“I had the privilege to help raise awareness in America about the real humanitarian crisis — the hostages. Like everyone, alongside the deep grief over those we lost and those who weren’t saved, I had the immense pleasure in seeing [the captives] come out one after another from the hell of the tunnels of captivity to the Garden of Eden,” Adelson said, adding with a wry smile, “the Garden of Eden, even if not perfect, that is called the Land of Israel.” 

Adelson added that while the living hostages have all returned and the remains of the slain ones have started to come back, “our mission to return our 13 captive boys has not been completed. We will not be silent, we will not rest, until they all return.”

Two recently released hostages — Matan Angrest and Segev Kalfon — were also honored at the event and called up to the stage, where they embraced Adelson.

The recipients were selected by an advisory committee, which is chaired by retired Supreme Court Justice Professor Yoram Danziger. 

In addition to the recipients and their families, attendees included U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, German Ambassador to Israel Steffen Rüdiger Seibert and Argentine Ambassador to Israel Rabbi Shimon Axel Wahnish. American Israeli philanthropist Haim Saban was there, as was his chief of staff and director of his foundation Amitai Raziel. Friede Springer, the widow of Axel Springer, attended the event, as did Axel Springer board member Jan Bayer. United Hatzalah President Eli Beer, whose organization maintains close ties to the Adelsons, also appeared at the event.