Hero of Israel is an Israeli military decoration

Israeli Military decorations

The Israeli Military decorations are the decorations awarded to soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces who exhibit extraordinary bravery and courage....

 that was awarded during the War of Independence

1948 Arab-Israeli War

The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...

.
When the IDF

Israel Defense Forces

The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...

 was first established in May 1948, a system of decorations

Military decoration

A military decoration is a decoration given to military personnel or units for heroism in battle or distinguished service. They are designed to be worn on military uniform....

 had not yet been instituted, but many soldiers who had distinguished themselves in battle were recommended by their officers for awards. The army command installed a committee to decide on a system of decorations, and a contest was written out for the public to design medals. However, after more than a year, no decisions had been taken and in the summer of 1949 it was decided that, as a “temporary solution", 12 decorations would be awarded to a selection of soldiers who were representative for the different IDF units and who had distinguished themselves by the highest level of heroism.

The number 12 was symbolic for the twelve tribes of Israel - while the title "Hero of Israel" resembles the Russian "Hero of the Soviet Union

Hero of the Soviet Union

The title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...

". (At the time, the newly founded Israel was on good terms with the Soviet Union, whose satellite Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...

 provided much of the initial arms shipments for the IDF

Israel Defense Forces

The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...

, and pro-Soviet feeling was widespread among Palmach

Palmach

The Palmach was the elite fighting force of the Haganah, the underground army of the Yishuv during the period of the British Mandate of Palestine. The Palmach was established on May 15, 1941...

 fighters).

The award ceremony was held on July 17, 1949. After a military parade, President

President of Israel

The President of the State of Israel is the head of state of Israel. The position is largely an apolitical ceremonial figurehead role, with the real executive power lying in the hands of the Prime Minister. The current president is Shimon Peres who took office on 15 July 2007...

 Chaim Weizman, Prime Minister

Prime Minister of Israel

The Prime Minister of Israel is the head of the Israeli government and the most powerful political figure in Israel . The prime minister is the country's chief executive. The official residence of the prime minister, Beit Rosh Hamemshala is in Jerusalem...

 David Ben-Gurion

David Ben-Gurion

' was the first Prime Minister of Israel.Ben-Gurion's passion for Zionism, which began early in life, led him to become a major Zionist leader and Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization in 1946...

 and IDF Chief of Staff

Ramatkal

The Chief of the General Staff, also known as the Commander-in-Chief of the Israel Defense Forces is the supreme commander and Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces. At any given time, the Chief of Staff is the only active officer holding the IDF's highest rank, Rav Aluf , which is usually...

 Yaakov Dori

Yaakov Dori

Yaakov Dori was the first Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces .Born in the present day Ukraine as Yakov Dostrovsky , son of Tzvi and Myriam, his family emigrated to Ottoman Palestine following the anti-Jewish pogrom in Odessa in 1905...

 awarded the decoration to the recipients or their dependents (4 awards were given posthumously).

After this ceremony, the committee continued to work on a system of decorations, but it was never brought to a solution and so the Hero of Israel ribbon was never awarded again. Instead, in 1970 it was replaced with the Medal of Valor. All recipients of the Hero of Israel automatically received the Medal of Valor as well.

Design

The decoration is designed in the form of a red ribbon bar, charged with a clasp of the Israeli coat of arms

Coat of arms of Israel

The Emblem of the State of Israel shows a menorah surrounded by an olive branch on each side, and the writing "ישראל" below it...

 made of gold.

Recipients

Name	Rank	Conflict	Place of action	Date of action	Notes
Yair Racheli	Private	War of Independence 1948 Arab-Israeli War The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...	Near Shefa-'Amr Shefa-'Amr Shefa-'Amr, also Shfar'am is a predominantly Arab city in the North District of Israel. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics , at the end of 2009 the city had a population of 35,300.-Etymology:...	19 Jan 1948	Received the medal for destroying an enemy position
Emmanuel Landau	Private	War of Independence 1948 Arab-Israeli War The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...	Kiryat Motzkin	17 Mar 1948	Received the medal for capturing an enemy supply truck
Abraham Avigdorov	Private	War of Independence 1948 Arab-Israeli War The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...	Kiryat Motzkin	17 Mar 1948	Received the medal for destroying two enemy Bren Bren The Bren, usually called the Bren Gun, was a series of light machine guns adopted by Britain in the 1930s and used in various roles until 1991...  machine gun positions
Zerubavel Horowitz	Second Lieutenant	War of Independence 1948 Arab-Israeli War The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...	Road to Jerusalem	27 Mar 1948	Received the medal for covering the retreat of his comrades from an enemy attack
Yizhar Armoni	Private	War of Independence 1948 Arab-Israeli War The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...	Nabi Yusha	20 Apr 1948	Received the medal for covering the retreat of his comrades and evacuation of wounded soldiers
Emil Brig	Sergeant	War of Independence 1948 Arab-Israeli War The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...	Kibbutz Gesher area	14 May 1948	Received the medal for blowing a bridge and thus preventing the enemy from advancing during
Zvi Zibel	Airman	War of Independence 1948 Arab-Israeli War The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...	Ben Shemen Ben Shemen Ben Shemen is a moshav in central Israel. Located around four kilometres east of Lod, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hevel Modi'in Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 627....	25 Jun 1948	Received the medal for delivering supplies to the besieged Ben Shemen while under heavy enemy fire
Ben-Zion Leitner	Private First Class	War of Independence 1948 Arab-Israeli War The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...	Iraq Suwaydan	19 Oct 1948	Received the medal for destroying enemy bunkers during the Battles of the Separation Corridor Battles of the Separation Corridor The Battles of the Separation Corridor were a series of military engagements between the Israel Defense Forces and the Egyptian army in Operation Yoav, and were the centerpiece of the operation. They took place throughout all of Yoav , in the strip of land between the Israeli-held Negev enclave...
Ron Feller	Sergeant	War of Independence 1948 Arab-Israeli War The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...	Karatiyya Karatiyya Karatiyya was a Palestinian Arab village of 1,370, located northeast of Gaza, situated in a flat area with an elevation of along the coastal plain of Palestine and crossed by Wadi al-Mufrid.-History:...	19 Jul 1948	Received the medal for destroying an enemy tank in the Battle of Karatiyya
Yohai Ben-Nun Yohai Ben-Nun - Biography :Yohai Ben-Nun was born in Haifa and raised in Jerusalem. His parents were members of the First Aliyah.Ben-Nun joined the Palmach in 1941 and spent three years training and eventually rising to the rank of a squad leader. In 1944, he joined the Pal-Yam, the sea corps of the Palmach...	Captain	War of Independence 1948 Arab-Israeli War The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...	Mediterranean Sea Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...	22 Oct 1948	Received the medal for sinking the Egyptian Navy flag ship
Siman-Tov Ganeh	Private	War of Independence 1948 Arab-Israeli War The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...	Iraq Suwaydan	9 Nov 1948	Received the medal for covering the retreat of his comrades
Arieh Atzmoni	Master Sergeant	War of Independence 1948 Arab-Israeli War The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...	Rafah Rafah Rafah , also known as Rafiah, is a Palestinian city in the southern Gaza Strip. Located south of Gaza, Rafah's population of 71,003 is overwhelmingly made up of Palestinian refugees. Rafah camp and Tall as-Sultan form separate localities. Rafah is the district capital of the Rafah Governorate...	4 Nov 1948	Received the medal for rescuing a cannon from enemy hands