Civic bravery to be honored at Israel's 68th Independence Day
Proposal unanimously accepted to honor those who have shown bravery in neurtralizing terrorists, donating a kidney to strangers or rescuing children from a fire.
Regev proposed to honor 'civic heroes' in light of the current wave of terrorism in which many citizens demonstrated heroism, often risking their lives in order to neutralize terrorists.
In addition, the state will acclaim those brave citizens who donated a kidney to strangers or those who rescued children from a burning apartment.
Except for the culture minister, no other government minister bothered to attend the committee hearings scheduled in advance. They sent representatives or voted by ballot. Regev's proposal was accepted unanimously.
"In honor of the State of Israel's 68th Independence Day and in light of the changing challenges to its values and security, I find it appropriate to praise the bravery of Israeli citizens" Regev stated.
"Israeli citizens show vigilance, resourcefulness and courage worthy of the highest praise in light of the reality of terrorism, but it is not only this, as heroic citizenship is manifested in all walks of life and it has many facets. Its uniqueness is that it does not distinguish between religion, race and gender; its only yardstick is a person'ssoul, courage and assistance to others. Thanks to these values we can bring people together, connect different sections of society and weave one person's story with that of another."
Although the torchbearers have not yet been selected, it is reasonable to assume that among those chosen will be those vigilant Israelis who were endowed with the title "hero of the day" when they neutralized terrorists and prevented terror attacks.
Apart from the Independence Day ceremony, the culture minister is considering standardizing the recognition of civic courage and is thus looking for a way that the state can express its appreciation in a regular manner each year.
