President Rivlin and the Head of the Mossad presented certificates of excellence –

As he does every year, President Rivlin and the Head of the Mossad presented certificates of excellence – for the tenth time at Chanukah – to 13 outstanding employees and lit the fifth candle of Chanukah

One male and one female combatants, two operations agents, four administrative and operational support staff, five intelligence officers and tech/cyber specialists – these are the outstanding people of the Mossad for 2019

Attached photo credit: Haim Zach (GPO)

President Rivlin:

“In the Mossad’s dictionary, you will not find the word ‘impossible’. For the Mossad, excellence is not a luxury; it is the only way to survive in the world of the shadows.”

“You, the recipients of certificates of excellence, are essential to our security. We have technological means, smart weapons, advanced software and cyber tools – but in the end, it is the people.”

As he does every year at Chanukah, President Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin and Head of the Mossad Yossi Cohen came together to award certificates of excellence to four women and nine men of the Mossad. The traditional ceremony, which took place for the tenth time at Beit HaNasi this evening, Thursday 28 December / 30 Kislev, included lighting the fifth candle of Chanukah.

Among the outstanding men and women to receive certificates of excellence was a female combatant who leads her comrades in complex and dangerous missions, taking personal responsibility for carrying them out safely and effectively, trains the next generation of combatants and ensures their professional development under her command. A certificate of excellence was also awarded to a combatant who took part in a key and significant mission including unique and wide-ranging activity overseas, performing his role with exceptional dedication and always aspiring to excellence. Other certificates were awarded to a female intelligence officer whose work includes dealing with key strategic issues and a cyber engineer who has developed ground-breaking new technology that allows the intelligence community access to new areas. Another outstanding employee creates unique solutions for the Mossad’s activities as a whole, in Israel and overseas.

“In the Mossad’s dictionary, you will not find the word ‘impossible’. No target is too far away, there is no individual who cannot be reached, and nothing that remains out of its sight. The best intelligence agencies in the world are proud to work with the Mossad because of its spirit, your daring and your bravery, because of Israeli creativity and chutzpah,” said the president at the beginning of his remarks, making special note of the legendary Marcelle Ninio ז"ל and Rafi Eitan ז"ל, the outstanding combatant, who passed away this year. 

The president added “the difference between failure and success is sometimes the blink of an eye. An unnecessary step, a forgotten item, a biological trace left behind. It requires – and that is the reason for this special occasion – the Mossad to be an institution of excellence. For the Mossad, excellence is not a luxury; it is the only way to survive in the world of the shadows. You, the recipients of certificates of excellence, are essential to our security. Our enemies lay in wait, looking for any crack or gap to get through. They are frustrated by their failure to harm us, and never stop searching for a way to catch us unawares. To protect ourselves in the neighborhood we live in, we have no option but to be sharper and much better. We have technological means, smart weapons, advanced software and cyber tools – but in the end, it is the people. You are the ones facing them. Without the operative who manages to infiltrate wherever it is, the analyst who finds the spot, the programmer who writes immaculate lines of code, the combatant who hits the right target and the data miner who finds pearls in the sea of information that turn into operations – without you, we would not be able to win.”

The president concluded his remarks with thanks to the families who know and don’t know, understand and don’t understand and live with a great number of question marks, saying, “Thank you. Thank you for your patience, thank you for your great support. Do well and succeed. Chag Sameach!”

Head of the Mossad Yossi Cohen to the outstanding employees of the Mossad this evening at Beit HaNasi in London: “Iran is at the head of the Mossad’s work priorities. All Iranian nuclear, long-range missile and precision missile activities, its regional spread and its support for terrorist organizations are a challenge to the security of the State of Israel and its citizens. The entire Mossad, the men and women operatives who are at the sharp end of the work, the technology and intelligence bodies, the security and logistics as well as those dealing with human resources, all work together as a single fist to ensure success. I make a personal commitment, as well as on behalf of the Mossad’s employees, that we will continue in this way, committed to our security and from a love of the people and the land.”

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