April 9, 1921
Yitzhak Navon, the fifth president of Israel, is born in Jerusalem. A close affiliate of both David Ben-Gurion and Shimon Peres, Navon is born into a family that has lived in Jerusalem for over 300 years, representing the Old Yishuv, or Jews who lived in the Land of Israel before modern Zionism. Accordingly, he is a fluent Arabic speaker. Navon fights in the pre-state Irgun, then switches to the Haganah because of ideological differences with the Irgun leadership.
Navon holds many important positions within the Israeli government, including secretary to Foreign Minister Moshe Sharett, head of the Culture Division of the Education and Culture Ministry, and member of the Knesset with the Rafi and Labor parties.
He serves as the deputy speaker of the Knesset and the chairman of its Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. He also is the chairman of the Executive Committee of the World Zionist Movement.
In 1978, Navon is elected as the fifth president of Israel. During his presidency, he works to build bridges among the many ethnic and religious communities within Israel. He also deals with the withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula and the First Lebanon War. In 1983, he famously turns down the opportunity to run for a second term as president and chooses instead to return to the Knesset, where he remains until 1992.
Navon writes one book and two musical plays. His book, The Six Days and the Seven Gates, published in 1979, and his musicals, Romancero Sefardi (1968) and Bustan Sefardi (1970), reflect his Sephardic heritage and are regularly performed at Tel Aviv’s Habima Theater.
Navon dies November 7, 2015, in Jerusalem at age 94.
