Nava Barak-Singer (; ''née'' Cohen; April 8, 1947) is an Israeli educator and social activist. She was the wife of

Ehud Barak Ehud Barak ( ; born Ehud Brog; 12 February 1942) is an Israeli former general and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Israel, prime minister from 1999 to 2001. He was leader of the Israeli Labor Party, Labor Party between 1997 and 20 ...

between 1969 and 2003 and thus the spouse of the prime minister of Israel between 1999 and 2001.

Biography

Nava Cohen was born in

Tiberias Tiberias ( ; , ; ) is a city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel. A major Jewish center during Late Antiquity, it has been considered since the 16th century one of Judaism's Four Holy Cities, along with Jerusalem, Heb ...

. Her father was the manager of a branch of

Bank Leumi Bank Leumi (, lit. ''National Bank''; ) is an Israeli bank. It was founded on February 27, 1902, in Jaffa as the ''Anglo Palestine Company'' as subsidiary of the Jewish Colonial Trust () Limited formed before in London by members of the Zionism, ...

and her mother worked for the

Jewish Agency The Jewish Agency for Israel (), formerly known as the Jewish Agency for Palestine, is the largest Jewish non-profit organization in the world. It was established in 1929 as the operative branch of the World Zionist Organization (WZO). As an ...

. She served in the

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...

as a member of the Intelligence Corps.אילן בן עמי, האישה שאיתו, 2010, עמ' 227 In the winter of 1968, while studying English and Arabic literature at the

Hebrew University The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; ) is an Israeli public research university based in Jerusalem. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Chaim Weizmann in July 1918, the public university officially opened on 1 April 1925. It is the second-ol ...

, she met her future husband, Ehud Brug, later Barak, in one of the university's libraries; Brug, a major in the IDF, was a student of mathematics and physics. After graduating with a BA, she obtained a position as an English teacher at a middle school in

Kfar Saba Kfar Saba ( ), officially Kfar Sava , is a List of Israeli cities, city in the Sharon plain, Sharon region, of the Central District (Israel), Central District of State of Israel, Israel. In 2019 it had a population of 110,456, making it the 16th-l ...

. The wedding of Nava Cohen and Ehud Barak took place on March 25, 1969 at the Ginaton Hotel in Tiberias. The newlyweds made their first home in

Kiryat Hayovel Kiryat HaYovel () is a neighborhood in southwestern Jerusalem on Mount Herzl. It was built in the early 1950s to house Jewish immigrants and refugees who fled the Arab world. Today, Kiryat HaYovel has a population of 25,000 residents. Kiryat Ha ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

.אילן בן עמי, האישה שאיתו, 2010, עמ' 228

Spouse of the prime minister of Israel

During Ehud Barak's time as Israeli Prime Minister (1999–2001), Nava Barak chose not to hold any official public role, instead undertaking voluntary work in the youth sector. The organizations in which she served included the Elem Association for Youth at Risk; the network of Hafuch al Hafuch cafes that gave young people opportunities to meet professionals; a project supporting the teaching of healthy interpersonal relationships in schools; and the Supervision Patrol Project, which aimed to identify young people whose behaviour on the streets gave cause for concern. Other organizations that she helped were the Israel Cancer Association, the Israel AIDS Task force, the Tel Hashomer Hospital, the Rabin Medical Center and the Association for Children with Down Syndrome. Following an attack on a children's bus in Kfar Darom, she raised money for a fund that had been created to help the injured.

Private life

The Baraks had three daughters. In 2003, after 34 years of marriage, they separated. On July 7, 2009, Nava Barak married the businessman Shalom Singer. Barak-Singer is currently employed as the president of the Elem Association and serves as the (unpaid) president of the Friends of the Rabin Medical Center Association.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Barak-Singer, Nava Spouses of prime ministers of Israel Hebrew University of Jerusalem alumni Teachers of English as a second or foreign language Israeli activists Non-profit executives People from Tiberias Jews from Mandatory Palestine 1947 births Living people