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On September 16, 2018, Israel lost one of its fiercest defenders when a knife-wielding Arab stabbed Efrat resident Ari Fuld in the back at the Gush Etzion Junction, south of Jerusalem. Fuld used his last breaths of life to chase down and shoot the attacker, wounding him and saving the lives of other Israelis in the terrorist’s path.
… Fuld was posthumously honored with the Defender of Israel Award at the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) annual leadership meeting in Las Vegas, funded by the Steven M. Mizel Foundation “In Recognition and Gratitude for Ari Fuld’s Courage and His Dedication to Defending Israel and its People.”
Fuld’s widow, Miriam [Fuld], made clear to JNS that "while I traveled to the conference to accept the award, it was given to Ari, and I accepted on his behalf."
She said that "the award was most appropriate. Ari’s entire purpose in life can be summed up in one sentence—to defend the People of Israel, in the Land of Israel, through the Torah of Israel."
…[RJC Vice Chairman’s Council member] Steven Mizel, the chairman of the eponymous foundation, which is dedicated to supporting Israeli soldiers, border police and emergency response personnel in Israel, told JNS that Fuld was most deserving of the honor. "His actions speak for themselves. The fact that he was stabbed and was able to chase down the terrorist and shoot him before he died says it all."
For the past several years, the foundation has been honoring exceptional heroes of Israel with its Defender award, at the RJC meetings. Fuld's bravery was to be recognized several years ago, but due to COVID-19, the award was only presented to Miriam this year.
Shortly after the murder, Miriam and a group of close friends established the Ari Fuld Project in his memory to continue defending the State of Israel and help IDF soldiers, while spreading Fuld’s love of Torah, Judaism and the Jewish People.
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