Spouse of the prime minister of Israel
Appearance
Spouse of the prime minister of Israel | |
---|---|
since July 1, 2022 | |
Residence | Beit Aghion |
Inaugural holder | Paula Ben-Gurion |
Formation | May 17, 1948 |
The spouse of the prime minister of Israel refers to the wife or husband of the head of government of Israel. It is not an official position or title.
History
The spouse of Israel's prime minister assists him with ceremonial duties and performs various other functions. The wife of the current prime minister, Yair Lapid, is Lihi Lapid.
Name | Portrait | Term began | Term ended | Prime Minister of Israel | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Paula Ben-Gurion | May 17, 1948 | January 26, 1954 | David Ben-Gurion | Wife of the first Prime Minister of Israel. Born in the Russian Empire and raised in the United States.[1] | |
Tzippora Sharett | January 26, 1954 | November 3, 1955 | Moshe Sharett | ||
Paula Ben-Gurion | November 3, 1955 | June 26, 1963 | David Ben-Gurion | Paula Ben-Gurion's second tenure as the wife of the prime minister. | |
Miriam Eshkol | June 26, 1963 | February 26, 1969 | Levi Eshkol | Miriam Eshkol maintained her job as the Knesset librarian, in addition to her roles as the wife of the prime minister. After her husband's death in office in 1969, she founded Yad Levi Eshkol in 1970 and served as its chair until 2010.[2][3] | |
Position vacant | March 17, 1969 | June 3, 1974 | Golda Meir | Golda Meir, Israel's only female prime minister to date, was a widow. Her husband, Morris Meyerson, died in 1951 before she became Israel's prime minister.[4] | |
Leah Rabin | June 3, 1974 | June 20, 1977 | Yitzhak Rabin | First tenure as the wife of the prime minister. | |
Aliza Begin | June 20, 1977 | November 13, 1982 | Menachem Begin | Aliza (née Arnold) Begin died in November 1982 while her husband was still Prime Minister. The couple had been married since May 29, 1939. | |
Position vacant | November 13, 1982 | October 10, 1983 | Menachem Begin | Following the death of Aliza in November 1982, Prime Minister Menachem Begin gradually withdrew from public life until his resignation in October 1983. | |
Shulamit Shamir | October 10, 1983 | September 13, 1984 | Yitzhak Shamir | Shamir, who was born in Bulgaria, was a social activist. This marked her first tenure as the wife of the prime minister. | |
Sonia Peres | September 13, 1984 | October 20, 1986 | Shimon Peres | ||
Shulamit Shamir | October 20, 1986 | July 13, 1992 | Yitzhak Shamir | ||
Leah Rabin | July 13, 1992 | November 4, 1995 | Yitzhak Rabin | Leah Rabin's second tenure as the wife of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Her husband was assassinated on November 4, 1995. | |
Sonia Peres | November 4, 1995 | June 18, 1996 | Shimon Peres | ||
Sara Netanyahu | June 18, 1996 | July 6, 1999 | Benjamin Netanyahu | Netanyahu's first tenure as the wife of the prime minister | |
Nava Barak | July 6, 1999 | March 7, 2001 | Ehud Barak | ||
Position vacant | March 7, 2001 | January 4, 2006 | Ariel Sharon | Ariel Sharon's second wife, Lily Sharon, died in March 2000 before he became Prime Minister.[5][6] | |
Aliza Olmert | January 4, 2006 | March 31, 2009 | Ehud Olmert | Alisa Olmert is an artist, photographer, author and social worker born in Germany to Holocaust survivors from Poland. | |
Sara Netanyahu | March 31, 2009 | June 13, 2021 | Benjamin Netanyahu | Netanyahu's second tenure as the wife of the prime minister | |
Gilat Bennett | June 13, 2021 | July 1, 2022 | Naftali Bennett | Bennett rarely appeared in public. She was seen next to her husband a few times and spoke twice in the Knesset.[7][8] | |
Lihi Lapid | July 1, 2022 | Present | Yair Lapid |
See also
References
- ^ "Mrs. Paula Ben-Gurion Dies in Beersheba Hospital After Long Illness". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 1968-01-30. Archived from the original on 2019-07-16. Retrieved 2019-07-03.
- ^ Pileggi, Tamar (2016-11-26). "Miriam Eshkol, wife of Israel's 3rd prime minister, dies at 87". Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 2017-02-11. Retrieved 2019-07-03.
- ^ Aderet, Ofer (2016-11-28). "Miriam Eshkol, Wife of Former Israeli Prime Minister Levi Eshkol, Dies at 89". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 2018-02-01. Retrieved 2019-07-03.
- ^ O'Malley, JP (2017-11-27). "Who (or what) was Golda Meir's one true love? A new biography has answers". Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 2019-06-09. Retrieved 2019-07-03.
- ^ Ben-David, Calev; Gwen (12 January 2014). "Ariel Sharon, Israeli Warrior Who Vacated Gaza, Dies at 85". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on 12 January 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
- ^ "Sharon, Through the Years". New York Times. 2014-01-11. Archived from the original on 2018-10-11. Retrieved 2019-07-03.
- ^ "גילת בנט בהופעת בכורה פומבית: "קול שלא מספיק נשמע" - מקור ראשון". Makorrishon.co.il. 2022-03-27. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
- ^ "גילת בנט: "כשאישה לובשת מלכות היא מייצרת מציאות"".