At a ceremony held this evening at the President’s Residence in Yerushalayim, Israeli President Isaac Herzog presented the 2025 President’s Volunteer Award. Among this year’s recipients was Rav Shlomo Raanan, founder and chairman of Ayelet HaShachar, an organization that for more than thirty years has worked to bridge divides in Israeli society, fostering unity and building connections across communities.
The award comes at a time when Israel is experiencing deep polarization and divisive public discourse. The prize committee explained: “The work of Rav Raanan and Ayelet HaShachar proves that it is possible to create connections even in a fractured reality. It exemplifies a profound belief in the power of the Jewish people to unite around shared values.”
In his remarks at the event, President Herzog said: “Rav Raanan is a pioneering figure of devotion and mission. Ayelet HaShachar has succeeded in creating a new reality—communities, encounters, and dialogue—that make our society stronger. This is work that brings genuine hope to Israel.”
Rav Raanan, visibly moved, responded: “The President’s Volunteer Award belongs to the thousands of Israelis who prove how deeply Am Yisroel yearns for connection, for dialogue that brings people closer, and for a more united society. This is a mission we will continue with all our strength.”
Founded in 1998, Ayelet HaShachar has initiated the establishment of more than 80 synagogues in secular kibbutzim and launched the Chavrusa project, pairing some 10,000 secular and chareidi partners who learn Torah together each week. The organization has organized holiday events in communities unfamiliar with Jewish tradition, while also developing educational and cultural programs connecting teachers, families, and communities across the spectrum.
Following the October 7 attacks, the group broadened its activities into aid and rehabilitation: setting up a prayer tent at Hostages Square, providing personal support for hostage families, rebuilding homes and synagogues in the south and the north, collaborating with volunteer architects to restore war-damaged homes, and even launching the “Iron Bonds” initiative to arrange shidduchim for wounded soldiers.
{Matzav.com Israel}
