Mr. Sammy Bar Lev

Shmuel (Sami) Bar Lev was born in Baghdad and made aliyah with his family in 1951.
As the mayor of Katzrin, Sami has for many years worked to establish and strengthen Jewish settlement in the Golan Heights.

In 1968, after the Six Day War, Bar Lev was one of the first pioneers in the settlement in the Golan Heights, first in Merom HaGolan and later in the town of Kuneitra. In October of 1973, Bar Lev was evacuated from Kuneitra in the course of the Yom Kippur War and he began to plan the establishment of a city to be built in the Golan. By 1975, he was at the head of a small group whose goal was to establish a new Jewish city in the Golan.

After two years of tireless efforts, the group convinced the government to authorize the establishment of the new city in the Golan. 1,300 years after the destruction of the Talmudic city of Kisrin in an earthquake, the members of the Katzrin settlement group established the community of Katzrin near the site of the ruins of the ancient Jewish town.

In 1980, Sammy was elected head of the regional council of Katzrin, a position he still holds today. Under his leadership, the community of Katzrin has become one of the most advanced and nurtured cities in Israel, a model of successful immigrant absorption and outstanding municipal management.

Since its inception, Katzrin has opened its gates to anyone wishing to make the Golan his home, and has succeeded in drawing thousands of families and young people. At the end of the 1980s, the fall of the Iron Curtain led to a huge influx of immigrants from the former Soviet Union; and Sami, along with many veteran inhabitants of the community, hurried to the airport bearing signs saying “Come to Katzrin.” In the beginning, the new immigrants were concerned about the city’s proximity to the Syrian border, but after the successful absorption of the first family many others followed suit. Over the years, Katzrin has become a model of unique and successful immigrant absorption, with a third of the city’s population comprised of new immigrants. Sami encouraged a group of religious educators to settle in the city and establish the local religious day school and premilitary academy.

During his 40 years in the Golan, Sammy has worked tirelessly to establish a vibrant community based on the tenets of unity, love of one’s neighbor, and love of the Land of Israel. He is considered one of the region’s outstanding leaders, known for his devotion to the Golan and its residents, and for his pioneering role in the struggle to preserve the Golan as an integral part of the State of Israel.

For his central role in the settlement of the Golan and its prosperity for the past 40 years; and for establishing the city of Katzrin a reality and turning it into an national example of community and municipal leadership and the pioneering Zionist spirit, Sami Bar Lev has been awarded the Moskowitz Prize’s 2009 “Lion of Zion” award.