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Spouse of the prime minister of Israel

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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.

Spouse of the prime minister of Israel
בן הזוג של ראש ממשלת ישראל‎
since December 29, 2022
ResidenceBeit Aghion
Inaugural holderPaula Ben-Gurion
FormationMay 17, 1948

History

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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

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Notes

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  1. ^ Hebrew: בן הזוג של ראש ממשלת ישראל, Arabic: زوجة رئيس وزراء إسرائيل

References

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  1. ^ "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.
  2. ^ "Eshkol, 68, Expected To Take Bride of 34". New York Times. 1964-03-03. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ "Sharon, Through the Years". New York Times. 2014-01-11. Archived from the original on 2018-10-11. Retrieved 2019-07-03.
  8. ^ "גילת בנט בהופעת בכורה פומבית: "קול שלא מספיק נשמע" - מקור ראשון". Makorrishon.co.il. 2022-03-27. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
  9. ^ "גילת בנט: "כשאישה לובשת מלכות היא מייצרת מציאות"".
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