The Lone Soldier Center in Memory of Michael Levin was honored with Israel’s prestigious 2026 Presidential Award for Volunteering on Tuesday evening, with Israeli President Isaac Herzog praising the volunteers and organizations that embody “the beautiful and good Israeli spirit.”
The center was one of 19 individuals and organizations recognized during a ceremony at the President’s Residence for their significant contributions to Israeli society over the past year. Established after the 1973 Yom Kippur War by Israel’s fourth president, Ephraim Katzir, the annual award is presented in cooperation with Israel’s Volunteer Council.
Against the backdrop of the ongoing war and its challenges, this year’s honorees represented a cross-section of Israeli society, including organizations supporting wounded and disabled soldiers, bereaved families, frontline communities and volunteers from across the country.
“You are the pillars of that wondrous civic movement that expresses the Israeli spirit at its finest,” Herzog said in opening the ceremony. “Tonight, we honor your acts of volunteering and giving and the leadership you embody.
“World leaders ask me, ‘Where does your strength come from. Where does resilience come from?’ The answer is you, the recipients, and the volunteer organizations you represent. You are the secret of our resilience and strength, the fuel that drives us to rise from the ruins. You are the force to rebuild again and again, you are the essence of our power, the embodiment of the beautiful and good Israeli spirit.”
The Lone Soldier Center was one of 10 nonprofit organizations to receive the award.
“We are truly honored and humbled to be recognized for our work with lone soldiers,” said its CEO, Leora Rubinstein. “This award is truly a tribute to the young people who come to Israel and choose to enlist in the IDF in service of the State of Israel, as well as to young Israelis without family support who could have chosen a very different path.”
At the heart of the organization’s mission, Rubinstein said, is support for young men and women who leave behind their families, friends and home countries to serve in the Israel Defense Forces, as well as Israelis who lack a family support network.
“The lone soldiers who come specifically to enlist, as well as young Israelis without a family safety net, volunteer out of a deep personal calling to serve the Jewish state and the Jewish people,” she said.
“The Lone Soldier Center ensures that this extraordinary act of dedication doesn’t come at the cost of facing their service alone and unsupported. We provide a warm and loving place that feels like home, with a supportive and loving community that looks out for them. We are there for them when they draft, at every ceremony and when they finish their army service. They are not alone.”
Retired judge Avital Chen, chair of the Presidential Advisory Committee, said the annual award is intended to foster volunteerism and strengthen unity, mutual responsibility and social cohesion.
“We are not here merely to present certificates, but to pause for a moment and honor the quiet engine that drives Israeli society—the act of giving,” Chen said. “You were chosen to represent the mosaic of Israeli society at its best.
“In complex and challenging times, you have proven that our national resilience is also measured by a person’s ability to wake up in the morning and ask, ‘Where can I help?’ You are the beautiful face of the State of Israel, proof that mutual responsibility is a way of life, and the light that continues to shine even in the most difficult moments.”
Founded 15 years ago, the Lone Soldier Center in Memory of Michael Levin is Israel’s oldest and largest organization supporting lone soldiers. It has assisted more than 15,000 soldiers through programs for immigrant lone soldiers and Israeli lone soldiers without family support networks, providing social workers, coordinators and long-term guidance before enlistment, throughout military service and for five years after discharge.
The organization fulfills the vision of Michael Levin, an American-born lone soldier who was killed by sniper fire during the 2006 Second Lebanon War. He was 22 years old.
