Yitzhak Navon
Yitzhak Rachamim Navon entered the world on the 9th of April 1921 within the walls of Jerusalem. His family lived under the British Mandate for Palestine during those early years. He was born to Yosef and Miryam Navon, a couple with deep roots in the city. His father's lineage traced back to Sephardi Jews expelled from Spain in 1492. These ancestors settled in Turkey before moving to Jerusalem in 1670 as the Baruch Mizrahi family. On his mother's side, he descended from Rabbi Chaim ibn Attar, a renowned Moroccan-Jewish kabbalist who arrived in Israel in 1742. This ancestry gave him a unique position as the first Israeli president born in Jerusalem. It also made him the first Sephardi Jew to hold that office. The Navon family moved from Jaffa Road to the Ohel Moshe neighbourhood in Nachlaot by 1924. They later relocated to Sheikh Badr near the western entrance to Jerusalem in 1932. By 1936, they had moved again to Mekor Baruch.
Navon studied Arabic and Islamic studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He taught Hebrew literature for several years after completing his education. His fluency extended across five languages: Arabic, Hebrew, Ladino, French, and English. During the war, he served as a member of the Haganah's Arab Intelligence Unit. He worked undercover within Jerusalem while listening to wiretapped conversations of the British Army. Later, the Israeli foreign service sent him to Uruguay and Argentina to track down Nazis. These experiences shaped his understanding of both local and international dynamics. His academic background provided a foundation for his future political career. The combination of intelligence work and teaching created a rare profile among politicians. He understood the complexities of language and culture in the region. This dual expertise would become crucial during his diplomatic missions.
In 1951, Navon became the political secretary of Israel's first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion. The following year he was appointed Ben-Gurion's bureau chief. He remained in this position under Prime Minister Moshe Sharett. His judgment proved crucial to advice the government received during the Suez Crisis and Lavon Affair. When Ben-Gurion resigned as prime minister in 1963, Navon became a civil service department head at the Ministry of Education and Culture. He began a long campaign fighting illiteracy in Israel, which affected about 12% of the Jewish population. Navon stated that it was a shame and disgrace that more than 200,000 adults did not know how to read or write. He ordered the mobilisation of hundreds of female soldiers serving compulsory national service to teach illiterate adults. Two years later, Navon was elected to the Knesset as a member of Ben-Gurion's Rafi party. The new party merged into the Israeli Labor Party in 1968. Navon served as deputy speaker of the Knesset and chairman of the Knesset Committee on Foreign and Defense Affairs.
On the 19th of April 1978, Navon was elected by the Knesset to serve as the fifth President of Israel. The race was uncontested and Navon received 86 votes in the 120-member Knesset with 23 members casting blank votes. He assumed office on the 29th of May 1978 and was the first president with small children to move into Beit HaNassi. His wife, Ofira, was active in promoting the welfare of Israeli children. As a president, Navon met with Egyptian president Anwar Sadat and was influential in the peace talks. According to Haaretz newspaper, he achieved more in one visit than five by Israel's Prime Minister. Although the Israeli presidency is a ceremonial office, Navon was an outspoken advocate of a judicial commission of inquiry. This commission probed Israel's role in the Sabra and Shatila massacre perpetrated by Lebanese Falangists in 1982. His diplomatic efforts focused on building bridges between different communities during a turbulent period.
In 1983, Navon turned down the opportunity to run for a second term of office. Instead he returned to politics, becoming the only Israeli ex-president to do so. When polls showed that Navon was more popular than Labor chairman Shimon Peres, Peres stepped aside. Navon did not accept the chairmanship but remained politically active. In 1984, he was elected to the Knesset and served as minister of education and culture from 1984 to 1990. Navon was Minister of Education during the first Intifada. During the summer of 1989 there were riots and protests. Jerusalem parents appealed to Navon by petition to reopen their schools. He stated that closing schools was immoral and ineffective. He believed it would cause irreversible damage to Palestinian children and to his own people. As the violence escalated, moderates suffered at the hands of extremists. He remained in the Knesset until 1992 before briefly leaving politics.
Navon wrote two musicals based on Sephardic folklore: Romancero Sefardi in 1968 and Bustan Sefardi in 1970. These works were successfully performed at Habimah, Israel's national theater in Tel Aviv. He is also the author of The Six Days and the Seven Gates published in 1979. This book presented a modern legend of the reunification of Jerusalem. It was first published in Hebrew by Shikmona Publishing Company and later translated into English. His literary contributions reflected his deep connection to Jewish heritage and history. The stories drew upon traditional narratives while addressing contemporary issues. These works demonstrated his ability to blend cultural preservation with artistic expression. They remain significant examples of Israeli literature rooted in Sephardic traditions.
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Common questions
When was Yitzhak Navon born and where?
Yitzhak Navon entered the world on the 9th of April 1921 within the walls of Jerusalem. His family lived under the British Mandate for Palestine during those early years.
What makes Yitzhak Navon unique among Israeli presidents regarding his ancestry?
Yitzhak Navon is the first Sephardi Jew to hold the office of President of Israel. He was also the first Israeli president born in Jerusalem with ancestors tracing back to Jews expelled from Spain in 1492.
How long did Yitzhak Navon serve as President of Israel?
Yitzhak Navon served as the fifth President of Israel from the 29th of May 1978 until he turned down a second term in 1983. He assumed office after being elected by the Knesset on the 19th of April 1978.
Why did Yitzhak Navon mobilize female soldiers during his time at the Ministry of Education?
Yitzhak Navon ordered the mobilisation of hundreds of female soldiers serving compulsory national service to teach illiterate adults because over 200,000 adults could not read or write. This campaign affected about 12% of the Jewish population when he began fighting illiteracy in Israel.
What role did Yitzhak Navon play during the Sabra and Shatila massacre inquiry?
Navon was an outspoken advocate of a judicial commission of inquiry that probed Israel's role in the Sabra and Shatila massacre perpetrated by Lebanese Falangists in 1982. His diplomatic efforts focused on building bridges between different communities during this turbulent period.