At the Last Ceremony of Ruvi Rivlin's Tenure:
Certificate of Excellence for the Blood Services Unit 269
The outgoing president, Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin, ended his term at a ceremony by awarding certificates of excellence to 15 reserve units held at the president's house in early July. During the special ceremony, the 269th Blood Donor Regiment, under the command of Col. (Res.) Dr. Michi Zayfa, was awarded the Medal of Merit.
The decision to establish the IDF Blood Donor Unit was made in 1973, as a lesson from the Yom Kippur War and with the goal of strengthening MDA's blood donation system during emergencies. The ceremony was held in the presence of the Minister of Defense, Mr. Benny Gantz, the Chief of Staff, Major General Aviv Kochavi and the Chief Reserve Officer, Brigadier General Ari Singer.
Prof. Eilat Shinar, MDA Deputy Director General of Blood Services: "The General Staff Blood Battalion is an example of the excellent work of the reserve soldiers with MDA's blood services. Trained under the IDF and in an emergency, switches to operation by the IDF with efficiency, professionalism and order. The battalion commander, Col. Dr. Michi Zayfa, sets an amazing personal example and inspires the activity of the battalion's officers and soldiers. I am proud of them for receiving the Medal of Excellence. "
The blood-raising battalion commander, Col. (Res.) Dr. Michi Zayfa: I would like to thank the soldiers and officers of the battalion, who work in operations, wars and emergencies for the citizens of Israel and face every difficulty and challenge. "The spirit of our soldiers is an unprecedented asset and is the essence of our battalion - from the command system to the last soldiers - they all work for the citizens of the country, because in the end blood is an irreplaceable national asset."
Eli Bin, MDA Director General: "The Magen David Adom family congratulates Dr. Zayfa and the soldiers of our wonderful blood services battalion, who received a special award in an exciting ceremony. We are proud of the cooperation with the officers and soldiers of the unit and know that we have someone to rely on in an emergency. Well done!".
