Dalia Itzik, 1952-

The first female speaker of the Knesset from 2006 to 2009, Itzik was a teacher who began her political career as the chair of the Jerusalem Teachers Union. She was elected to the Jerusalem City Council in 1989, then the Knesset in 1992. She was a member of Kadima when she became Knesset speaker. She served as interim president in 2007 and finished third in the 2014 presidential election.

Photo: Amos Ben Gershom, Israeli Government Press Office