The Medal of Valor ( he, עיטור הגבורה, ''Itur HaGvura'') is the highest Israeli military decoration. The medal was established in 1970 by the

Knesset The Knesset ( he, הַכְּנֶסֶת ; "gathering" or "assembly") is the unicameral legislature of Israel. As the supreme state body, the Knesset is sovereign and thus has complete control of the entirety of the Israeli government (with ...

in an act of law as a replacement for the '' Hero of Israel'' military decoration that was awarded during the 1947-48 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine and the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Awards of the medal were also made for actions prior to 1970, and all recipients of the ''Hero of Israel'' automatically received the Medal of Valor as well. Recipients of the medal receive several privileges such as a tax reduction and invitations to official state ceremonies. To this day, 40 medals have been awarded: 12 for actions in the War of Independence (Hero of Israel recipients automatically received the Medal of Valor), four for the

Sinai War The Suez Crisis, or the Second Arab–Israeli war, also called the Tripartite Aggression ( ar, العدوان الثلاثي, Al-ʿUdwān aṯ-Ṯulāṯiyy) in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel,Also known as the Suez War or 1956 Wa ...

, 12 for the

Six-Day War The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab states (primarily Egypt, Syria, and Jordan) from 5 to 10 Ju ...

, one for the

War of Attrition The War of Attrition ( ar, حرب الاستنزاف, Ḥarb al-Istinzāf; he, מלחמת ההתשה, Milhemet haHatashah) involved fighting between Israel and Egypt, Jordan, the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and their allies from ...

, eight for the

Yom Kippur War The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was an armed conflict fought from October 6 to 25, 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by E ...

, and three others for actions during specific operations.

Design

The medal was designed by

Dan Reisinger Dan Reisinger ( he, דן ריזינגר; August 3, 1934 – November 26, 2019) was an Israeli graphic designer and artist. Biography Reisinger was born in Kanjiža, Serbia, into a family of painters and decorators active in Austria-Hungary and t ...

in the shape of a Star of David. A sword and olive branch decorate the left side, while the reverse is plain. The medal is attached to a yellow ribbon, a reference to the yellow star that

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

were forced to wear during the

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...

. Two time recipients of the medal attach a small medal-shaped clasp to the ribbon. The medal is minted by the Israel Government Coins and Medals Corporation. It is made of 25 gram silver/935 and the clasp is chrome plated.

Recipients

References

* John D. Clarke, ''Gallantry Medals & Awards of the World'', p. 108 {{Highest Awards for gallantry Military awards and decorations of Israel Awards established in 1970 1970 establishments in Israel