President Isaac Herzog on Thursday awarded the “President’s Medal for Civilian Courage” to six citizens who showed extraordinary bravery on the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight. The heroes acted in real time, at immediate risk to their own lives, and stopped an attempt to crash the plane—saving dozens of passengers and crew members. The medal, Israel’s highest civilian honor for courage, was established by the president after the October 7 terror attack to recognize citizens who acted with courage out of mutual responsibility. The recipients are Yaniv Hayon, Dr. Shota Moseev, Tali Manes, Zvika Manes, Or Perdilov, and Assaf Rejwan.
3+During the emotional ceremony at the President’s Residence, hosted by Hadar Marx, singer Matan Hassan performed the songs “Halevai” and “Ani Hozer.” The medal recipients shared their intense feelings from the dramatic moments. Tali Manes said she acted on maternal intuition, while Zvika Manes recounted that his daughters’ screams pushed him to act without thinking. Yaniv Hayon expressed great pride in receiving the honor, Dr. Shota Moseev emphasized the chain of people who mobilized for the rescue, and Assaf Rejwan noted that the flight passengers became one family celebrating a second birthday on the flight date, September 30.
Tali Manes said she acted on maternal intuition: “Apparently I’m a mother with maternal intuition and I was at the right time, in the right place, with the most right people there are.” Her husband, Zvika Manes, said what pushed him to act was his daughters’ screams: “What pushed me forward was my daughters’ screams. When a parent hears a scream like that, he acts without thinking.”
3+Yaniv Hayon expressed pride in receiving the medal and said: “It’s a great honor that the president chose to award me the medal for courage, and it will be displayed at home with pride, and my children will be able to see it every day.” Dr. Shota Moseev emphasized the cooperation among passengers in the moments of danger: “Many miracles happened that day. We were a chain of people who helped, and if one part had been missing, it would have broken. Everyone acted with courage.”
In his speech at the ceremony, President Herzog thanked the six for preventing a major aviation disaster that would have changed the face of the Middle East, and announced his intention to award the medal also to Indian captain Sumit Machehar, who fought the attacker and was seriously injured. The president stressed that civilian courage does not excuse the obligation to provide full, satisfactory answers to the public. Committee chairman retired Justice Elyakim Rubinstein congratulated the recipients and noted that a wondrous miracle occurred in the skies that serves as an example and model of Israel’s beautiful faces.
3+“Inspired by you, I stand here and remind us all: Israeli civilian courage is everywhere: on a plane, on the road, in the street, on the battle fronts, in the hospital, in a neighbor’s home. It’s in a person who sees danger and says: I can’t stand by—this is the heart of Israeli society. A society that has known for years how to build a state out of danger and crises and time after time—to choose life,” Herzog said.
He added: “Just yesterday marked three years since the October 7 disaster by the Gregorian calendar. In these three years we have seen again and again Israeli society in all its beauty and glory. A society that in its hardest hours proves that resourcefulness is not just a trait—it’s a way of life.”
3+From the words of committee chairman retired Justice Elyakim Rubinstein: “In the skies, during the drama of the attempted plane crash and the wondrous rescue with the wonderful human combination, with the mutual help that was there, a miracle of miracles truly happened. Normally, even those of us who don’t rush to believe in miracles would share this feeling. We read in the medal committee, with trembling, the unbelievable stories of courage. You are an example and model of Israel’s beautiful faces. Heartfelt congratulations to the recipient and recipients. People of the skies, may you be blessed from the heavens.”