Rabbi Arieh Levin

RABBI ARYEH LEVIN, FATHER OF THE PRISONERS
State Medal, 2005/5765

2005 marked the 120th Anniversary of the birth of Rabbi Aryeh Levin and 100 years since his immigration to Israel. Rabbi Levin was known primarily for the compassion he had for others and particularly his concern for the poor and downtrodden. He is remembered especially for his work with prisoners during the pre-State period when he visited Jewish activists and members of the underground jailed by the British. Many of these brave fighters went to the gallows accompanied by the prayers of the beloved “Rav Aryeh”. After 1948, he continued to visit convicts in jail, believing that he could influence even the most hardened through hope, prayer, and friendship. The late Chaim Herzog, 6th President of Israel, wrote: “Whenever I was in his company, I invariably sensed that I was in the presence of a tzaddik, a truly righteous man of piety – not an ordinary righteous man but a tzaddik in every fiber of his being, without a trace of materialistic concern or personal ambition, indeed with no thought but concern for others.” Medal Description:
The medal issue was overseen by a public committee headed by the Speaker of the Knesset, MK Reuven (Ruby) Rivlin. Members of the Committee were: Minister Isaac Herzog, Geula Cohen, Simcha Raz, Dov Genachovski, and Yoseph Vitelzon.

Obverse: On the face, a portrait of Rabbi Aryeh Levin, to his right a prison window and the words “A Tzaddik in Our Time” in English and Hebrew.

Reverse: On the reverse, the Jerusalem neighborhood in which he lived and his two hands clasping the hand of someone seeking his help. Written in Hebrew is his belief, in the words of our Sages, “Divine deliverance will come in the wink of an eye” and the verse from Isaiah: “They helped everyone his neighbor: and every one said to his brother, Be of good courage.”

Edge: Smooth

Designer: Aharon Shevo