With Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announcing plans to award U.S. President Donald Trump the Israel Prize, attention has turned to the extraordinary nature of the recognition. The Israel Prize is traditionally reserved for Israelis who have made landmark contributions to the nation’s cultural, scientific, political, or social life.

Trump would become the first non-Israeli recipient, making the decision a historic break from precedent. To understand the weight of that move, it’s important to look at the figures who have received the nation’s most prestigious honor before him.

Widely regarded as one of the founding pillars of Israeli literature, Shmuel Yosef Agnon—also known as Shai Agnon—helped build Israel’s modern literary identity. Born in Galicia, he immigrated to British Mandate Palestine at 20 and became one of the earliest voices to reflect the Jewish experience in the developing nation.

Best known for “The Bridal Canopy,” Agnon’s works explored the struggle between tradition and modernity, and the fading life of Jewish shtetl communities. His influence extended beyond Israel when he became the first Israeli Nobel Laureate in Literature in 1966. Agnon died in Jerusalem in 1970 and remains a national cultural icon.

Rabbi Yitzhak Herzog, born in Russian Poland and later Chief Rabbi of Ireland, became a towering spiritual figure in Israel after making aliyah. Serving as Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of both Mandate Palestine and later the State of Israel, Herzog helped shape the religious framework of the young nation.

He is also remembered as the patriarch of an influential political dynasty—father of President Chaim Herzog and grandfather of current President Isaac Herzog. He died in 1959.