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The Government of Israel has named Avraham “Avi” Rivkind, MD, an internationally known pioneer in the field of trauma medicine and director of the trauma unit and the department of general surgery at the Hadassah Medical Organization, a winner of the 2026 Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement, the country’s highest civilian honor. Dr. Rivkind established Israel’s first trauma center, at Hadassah, in 1992.
The Hadassah Medical Organization is the Jerusalem-based hospital system of Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America.
Since 1953, the Israel Prize has been awarded to people whose contributions to Israeli culture, education, medicine, science and society have had a profound and lasting impact. The 2026 winners, who were selected by a committee chaired by educator and 2018 Israel Prize winner Miriam Peretz, will receive the award on April 22, 2026, at a ceremony concluding Israel’s 78th Independence Day, known in Israel as Yom Ha’atzmaut. President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, senior government officials and leaders from across Israeli society will be on hand.
In its announcement, the Committee described Dr. Rivkind as “a pioneer in developing new medical approaches and tools for saving lives that have become an integral part of the State of Israel’s reality.” The Committee noted the comprehensive life-saving system Dr. Rivkind created for treating trauma victims both in the field and in hospitals and which has served as a model in Israel and abroad, and the generations of doctors, medics and students whom he has trained.
Dr. Rivkind “embodies the values of the sanctity of life, love of humanity and the land, and high-quality, equitable public medicine,” stated the Committee.
The international community as well as Israel has called on Dr. Rivkind’s expertise over the years. Those he has treated include victims of the Buenos Aires Jewish community center bombing in 1994, the blizzard and avalanches in Nepal’s Annapurna and Dhaulagiri regions in 2014, the tsunami in Sri Lanka in 2004 and the terror attacks in Kenya in 2002.
Said Yoram Weiss, MD, Director General of the Hadassah Medical Organization, "Avi Rivkind’s vision and dedication transformed trauma care in Israel. His leadership has saved countless lives at home and abroad and set an international standard for emergency medicine."
Carol Ann Schwartz, National President of Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, parent of the Hadassah Medical Organization, concurred, saying, “Hadassah members and supporters all over America are proud to see Avi Rivkind’s work recognized by the country to which he has dedicated his life.”
The only child of Holocaust survivors, Avraham Rivkind graduated from the Hadassah-Hebrew University School of Medicine in 1973. He did his residency in general surgery at the Hadassah Medical Organization under Natan Zalts, MD, a recipient of the Israel Prize, and Arie Durst, MD, who established Israel’s first transplant unit at Hadassah.
About the Hadassah Medical Organization:
For more than a century, the Hadassah Medical Organization, the Jerusalem-based hospital system of Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, has set the standard for excellence in medical care and research in Israel. The experience, expertise and ingenuity of Hadassah’s doctors and scientists have led to new tools and treatments in all areas of medicine, including therapeutics, diagnostics and medical devices. Visit hadassah.org/how-we-help/our-hospitals.