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By: Vered Weiss – WorldIsraelNews.com
President Isaac Herzog’s office has calmed controversy by announcing that there will be no meetings on Shabbat during his visit to Germany.
Herzog, whose grandfather Rabbi Yitzchak HaLevi Herzog was the first Chief Rabbi of Ireland has received criticism for releasing official statements on Shabbat.
Herzog congratulated Israeli gold medalist Linoy Ashram and released a statement on Moody’s credit downgrade on Saturday.
The Director-General of the President’s Residence called Interior Minister Moshe Arbel and confirmed that Herzog’s Friday meetings in Germany will stop before the beginning of Shabbat and there are no scheduled events on Shabbat day.
While in Germany Herzog will be present at the Munich security conference, attend bilateral meetings and attend events with Munich’s Jewish community.
Accompanying Herzog will be Foreign Minister Israel Katz, a son of Holocaust survivors who previously has refused to visit Germany.
President Herzog has been active in encouraging global advocacy for the release of hostages.
On New Year’s day, he released a statement, “As we enter 2024, I call on the entire family of nations, on all world leaders, to demand and work for the immediate, unconditional release of our hostages,” said Herzog.
“Babies, the elderly, women, men, are being held in brutal captivity by Hamas, without vital medication or visitation from the Red Cross. Their immediate release is at the core of our battle with Hamas terrorists in Gaza.”
“May the light dispel the darkness, and may the New Year bring peace, hope, and healing for all.” Herzog said.
When he attended the World Economic Forum at Davos, he sat with a picture of Kfir Bibas, who turned one-year old in captivity and urged the audience to be concerned with the plight of Israeli hostages.
“Many Israelis are asking themselves in many debates, and correctly, so, how come such huge humanitarian aid goes in, and Kfir Bibas and all of the other hostages are not even getting any help at all in any way, form or manner,” Herzog said.
In other news, WIN reported that President Isaac Herzog announced Tuesday the establishment of a new award that will honor civilian heroes of October 7, when Hamas terrorists invaded Israel and massacred 1,200 people, sparking the current war in Gaza.
The “President’s Medal for Civilian Valor” will be awarded yearly at an official state ceremony to those who are not members of the various security forces, yet act with exceptional bravery to save others.
Its inauguration is a direct consequence of the countless stories of unbelievable heroism that have been publicized ever since what Israelis have dubbed “the Black Sabbath,” the president said.
“Even when we were exposed to the boiling and shocking heart of terror and abysmal hatred that poured out upon us, we witnessed the greatness of spirit, heroism, resilience and compassion that built us as a people even in our darkest hours,” Herzog said. “The heroic powers of our people erupted in an astonishing way. These acts of heroism, which were accomplished by ordinary Israeli citizens, who acted in real time while actually risking their lives, out of a sense of unity of destiny and mutual responsibility, with the goal of saving human lives – they are the basis of my decision” to establish the award.
“As is written in Tractate Sanhedrin, ‘He who saves one life is considered as if he has saved an entire world,’” he concluded.
