Yitzhak Navon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Yitzhak Navon
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יצחק נבון
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Navon in 1965
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| 5th President of Israel | |
| In office 29 May 1978 – 5 May 1983 |
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| Prime Minister | Menachem Begin |
| Preceded by | Ephraim Katzir |
| Succeeded by | Chaim Herzog |
| Member of the Knesset | |
| In office 13 August 1984 – 13 July 1992 |
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| In office 22 November 1965 – 18 April 1978 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 April 1921 Jerusalem, British Mandate of Palestine |
| Died | 6 November 2015 (aged 94) Jerusalem, Israel |
| Nationality | Israeli |
| Political party | Alignment |
| Spouses | Ofira Resnikov (1963–93, her death) Miri Shafir (2008–15, his death) |
| Children | 2 |
| Profession | Author |
| Signature |  |
Yitzhak Rachamim Navon (Hebrew: יצחק נבון; 9 April 1921 – 6 November 2015) was an important Israeli leader. He was a politician, a diplomat, a writer, and a playwright. He served as the fifth President of Israel from 1978 to 1983. He was part of the Alignment political party.
Yitzhak Navon was the first Israeli president born in Jerusalem. He was also the first Sephardi Jew to hold that high office.
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Yitzhak Navon was born in Jerusalem. His parents were Yosef and Miryam Navon. His family had lived in Jerusalem for many centuries. On his father's side, his ancestors were Sephardic Jews. They settled in Turkey after being expelled from Spain in 1492. His family, the Baruch Mizrahi family, moved from Turkey to Jerusalem in 1670.
On his mother's side, he was related to a famous Moroccan-Jewish rabbi named Chaim ibn Attar. This rabbi moved to Israel and settled in Jerusalem in 1742.
In 1924, the Navon family moved to the Ohel Moshe neighborhood in Nachlaot. Later, they moved to Sheikh Badr in 1932. In 1936, they moved again to Mekor Baruch.
Navon went to Doresh Tziyon and Takhemoni elementary schools. He also attended the Hebrew University high school. He studied Arabic and Islamic studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. For several years, he taught Hebrew literature. He could speak many languages, including Arabic, Hebrew, Ladino, French, and English.
Navon was part of the Haganah's Arab Intelligence Unit. He worked secretly in Jerusalem. During a war, he listened to conversations of the British Army. Later, he was sent by Israel to Uruguay and Argentina. His job was to find Nazis who had escaped.
Navon was married to Ofira Navon. She sadly passed away from cancer in 1993. They had a son named Erez and an adopted daughter named Naama. Yitzhak Navon died in Jerusalem on November 6, 2015, when he was 94 years old.
In 1951, Yitzhak Navon became the political secretary for David Ben-Gurion. Ben-Gurion was Israel's first prime minister. The next year, Navon became Ben-Gurion's chief of staff. He kept this job when Moshe Sharett became prime minister. His advice was very important to the government during big events like the Suez Crisis.
In 1963, Ben-Gurion stopped being prime minister. Navon then became a department head at the Ministry of Education and Culture. Navon started a big project to fight illiteracy in Israel. This meant helping people who couldn't read or write. About 12% of the Jewish population needed help. Navon arranged for many female soldiers to teach adults how to read and write Hebrew.
Two years later, Navon was elected to the Knesset. The Knesset is Israel's parliament. He joined Ben-Gurion's Rafi party. This party later joined with the Israeli Labor Party in 1968. Navon served as a deputy speaker of the Knesset. He also led the Knesset Committee on Foreign and Defense Affairs.
President of Israel (1978–1983)
On April 19, 1978, the Knesset chose Navon to be the fifth President of Israel. He was the only candidate and received many votes. He started his job on May 29, 1978. He was the first president with young children to live in Beit HaNassi, the official presidential home. His wife, Ofira, worked hard to help Israeli children.
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Even though the Israeli president's job is mostly ceremonial, Navon was very active. He met with Egyptian president Anwar Sadat. He played an important role in peace talks between the two countries. Some even said he achieved more in one visit than the prime minister did in five!
In 1982, a terrible event called the Sabra and Shatila massacre happened. Navon strongly asked for an official investigation into Israel's role in this event. This showed he cared deeply about justice.
Minister of Education
In 1983, Navon decided not to run for a second term as president. Instead, he returned to active politics. He is the only Israeli ex-president to do this. He was very popular, especially among Arab and Mizrahi voters because he spoke Arabic fluently.
In 1984, he was elected to the Knesset again. He then served as the Minister of Education and Culture from 1984 to 1990. Navon was the Minister of Education during a time of unrest called the First Intifada. During this period, there were protests and riots. Parents in Jerusalem asked Navon to reopen their schools. Navon believed that closing schools was wrong and would harm children.
He stayed in the Knesset until 1992. After that, he briefly left politics. Later, Navon came out of retirement to lead a special committee. This committee looked into a problem where blood donated by Israelis of Ethiopian origin was being thrown away. This was due to worries about AIDS transmission.
Literary Works
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Yitzhak Navon wrote two musicals based on Sephardic stories and traditions. These were Romancero Sefardi (1968) and Bustan Sefardi ("Sephardic Garden" 1970). Both were very successful and performed at Habimah, Israel's national theater.
He also wrote a book called The Six Days and the Seven Gates (1979). It's a modern story about the reunification of Jerusalem. It was first published in Hebrew and later translated into English.
Awards and Special Recognition
In 2003, the Spanish government gave Navon an award in Herzliya, Israel.
The Jerusalem - Yitzchak Navon Station in central Jerusalem is named after him. This station honors his important history in the country. It is a busy place where people and tourists can catch fast trains to different cities in Israel. *[1]
See also
In Spanish: Yitzjak Navón para niños
