Nechama Rivlin, Wife Of Israeli President, Is Dead

Nechama Rivlin, the wife of President Reuven Rivlin, died on Tuesday at the age of 73.

Mrs. Rivlin, who had suffered from a pulmonary illness for a number of years, underwent a lung transplant in March. She passed away at Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva a day before her 74th birthday.

Nechama Rivlin, the beloved wife of Israeli president Reuven Rivlin, has passed away just one day before her 74th birthday, on June 5. In her role as a first lady, Nechama Rivlin focused on the environment, children with special needs, and the arts. May her memory be a blessing. pic.twitter.com/ViVuvwJn46

— WJC (@WorldJewishCong) June 4, 2019

In a statement, President Rivlin thanked the hospital’s staff for the “dedicated, sensitive and professional treatment” that they provided his wife over the past three months.

He also thanked Israelis for their messages of support, which “gave the president and the entire family strength and support that was indescribably powerful,” the statement said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he and his wife, Sara, express their condolences on Nechama Rivlin’s death. “We have all prayed for her health during the recent period, when she fought heroically for her life,” he added.

The country’s Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon said: “I share President Reuven Rivlin’s grief with the passing of his dear wife, Nechama. May her memory be blessed.”

Avi Gabbay, chairman of Israeli Labor Party, said that all Israelis feel the pain of Nechama Rivlin’s passing. “I send an embrace and condolences to the president and his family. Nechama’s humility and love for her fellow human being will always be with us,” he tweeted.

Hadash-Ta’al Chairman Ayman Odeh expressed his sorrow on the passing of the First Lady, whom he described as “a dear woman who loved her fellow human beings. Condolences to President Rivlin and to his whole family.”