Rivlin to posthumously honor man who drowned while saving a family
The president also invited the family Ben-Zikri saved, a Bedouin family from Hura, to the event.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFIsrael President Reuven Rivlin(photo credit: JERUSALEM POST)
President Reuven Rivlin will honor on Friday Michael Ben-Zikri, who died while rescuing a 40-year-old woman and her three children, with a posthumous civilian award which will henceforth be given to Israelis who, through their actions, inspire society.Rivlin will offer the award to the Ben-Zikri family as soon as they rise from their mourning (shiva). Rivlin also invited the family Ben-Zikri saved, a Bedouin family from Hura, to the event.Ben-Zikri was 45-years-old when he went swimming in a man-made lake near Zikim with his own family. He noticed the woman and her children drowning and rescued them all. Sadly, he was so exhausted from his efforts that he drowned. The cause of the incident was sinkholes which were formed at the bottom of the lake.Ben-Zikri will be the first to be given this award. Former Arab MK Taleb el-Sana attended the Sunday funeral and vowed that Ben-Zikri’s memory will be honored by naming a main street after him in Lakiya.He told the grieving family that “the entire Arab community, from the north to the south, each house, shares your pain.”Many Bedouins, including the family Ben-Zikri saved, attended the funeral and vowed to remain in touch with the family of the man who died while saving another person’s life.
