Spouse of the prime minister of Israel
The spouse of the prime minister of Israel [ a] 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, Benjamin Netanyahu , is Sara Netanyahu .
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.
Position vacant
June 26, 1963
March 3, 1964
Levi Eshkol
Levi Eshkol's second wife, Elisheva Kaplan , died in 1959 before he became Israel's prime minister. On 3 March 1964 he was the first and only prime minister to marry while in office.[ 2]
Miriam Eshkol
March 3, 1964
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.[ 3] [ 4]
Ruth Allon
February 26, 1969
March 17, 1969
Yigal Allon
Her husband served as acting prime minister after Levi Eshkol died in office.
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.[ 5]
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.[ 6] [ 7]
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 .[ 8] [ 9]
Lihi Lapid
July 1, 2022
December 29, 2022
Yair Lapid
Sara Netanyahu
December 29, 2022
Present
Benjamin Netanyahu
Netanyahu's third tenure as the wife of the prime minister
See also
Notes
^ Hebrew : בן הזוג של ראש ממשלת ישראל , Arabic : زوجة رئيس وزراء إسرائيل
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 .
^ "Eshkol, 68, Expected To Take Bride of 34" . New York Times . 1964-03-03. Retrieved 2024-02-13 .
^ 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" " .