President Isaac Herzog hosted the awards ceremony for the Jerusalem Unity Prize 2026 at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem.
The Jerusalem Unity Prize was established as a social initiative by the bereaved families of Eyal Yifrach, Gilad Sha’er, and Naftali Fraenkel, together with former Mayor of Jerusalem and MK Nir Barkat, following the abduction of Eyal, Gilad, and Naftali in the summer of 2014, in honor of the extraordinary unity that enveloped Israeli society and world Jewry at that time.
President Herzog stated: “Twelve years have passed since the entire people of Israel mobilized to search for Eyal, Gilad, and Naftali. And in all the years since, this prize has been awarded to preserve that very energy of unity."
“I wish I could speak today only about unity. But to my great sorrow, we are living through days in which violence is not the only thing rearing its head. Alongside it, at the margins of our magnificent Israeli society, a terrible process is creeping in - a terrible process of brutalization. It is a slow and disturbing process, one that threatens to enter the mainstream of Israeli society, and we will not allow it."
“There are segments amongst us that are barely shocked by violence anymore. Certain other segments treat it lightly. Almost a day does not pass without a murder in Arab society, and there is no longer anyone who is shocked, or even surprised. At the margins of our society, there are parts that have normalized violence, and there are, sadly, those who go further and even celebrate it, who take pride in it."
"We are witnessing a terrible wave of violence carried out by a lawless mob in Judea and Samaria. Acts that defile our home and depart from every basic norm - moral, legal, or Jewish. We are exposed to disgraceful and ugly conduct by extremists against Christians and Muslims who live among us, as if the basic morality of human beings, the commandments of the Torah of Israel regarding the love of the stranger who dwells alongside us, carry no meaning whatsoever. And we are exposed to brutal acts by a handful of people who think that detainees, those under interrogation, or suspects have no human rights at all. ‘Beloved is the human being, created in the image of God,’ our sources teach us."
“I stand here and say aloud: unity begins with humanity. Preserving human dignity, the image of God in every person, is the foundational condition for the entire edifice we are building. Even in the most just of all wars, we must preserve the image of God within us, and within every person who lives among us, or alongside us."
“Our people is a magnificent people, with tremendous strengths. But in order to act with those strengths, we must draw red lines. *It is forbidden to abuse detainees, however contemptible they may be. It is forbidden to take the law into one’s own hands. It is forbidden to harm people of other faiths and their symbols. And we cannot tolerate this brutalization that is emerging from the margins of our society and threatening us all."
Minister Ben-Gvir replied, "A head of state who calls hundreds of thousands of citizens of the State of Israel beasts is unfit to be president. Period. I am proud of the changes I have led in the prisons, of ending the summer camps for terrorists, of prisons becoming real prisons - and the fact that the State of Israel no longer turns the other cheek to supporters of terror." Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf left the ceremony in protest of the president's remarks in his speech.
Several years ago President Herzog was booed by some of the audience when he criticized IDF soldiers' treatment of an elderly Arab in his speech at the 40 year memorial evening for Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Kook ZT"L.
The Jerusalem Prize this year focused on a sharp call to set moral red lines in Israeli society. The 2026 Jerusalem Unity Prize laureates were:
• National category: Edat HaTzofim - the Religious Division of the Israeli Scouts Movement
• Local category: The Negev-Hebron Hills Covenant Initiative
• International category: The Straus-Amiel Institute
• Educational institutions category: Netur Integration Beit Midrash
• Local authorities category: The Municipality of Eilat
Certificates of Merit were also presented to:
-- Rabbi Yonatan Reiss, founder of the Chedvata network of Haredi hesder yeshivot, for his work promoting the integration of young Haredi men into meaningful national service and Israeli society.
-- Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, the spiritual leader of the Druze community in Israel, for his contribution to advancing shared life and strengthening the bond between the Druze community and Israeli society.