Condolences on the passing of Ora Herzog, mother of the President of Israel

The leadership of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress expresses its deepest condolences to the President of Israel, Isaac Herzog, and his family on the passing of his mother, Aura Herzog, widow of the sixth President of Israel, Chaim Herzog, at the age of 97.

Her passing is a profound loss for the State of Israel and the Jewish people. Aura Herzog was a prominent public figure and a driving force in the nation's civic life. Notably, in 1969, she founded the Council for a Beautiful Israel, a non-profit organization that continues to work towards improving the quality of life for all citizens of the state.

Born in Egypt, Aura Herzog immigrated to Israel in 1946 and joined the Haganah defense organization. That same year, she enrolled in the newly established diplomatic school of the Jewish Agency. In 1947, she married the future President, Chaim Herzog, and served in the intelligence service during the War of Independence.

Throughout the 1950s and 1970s, the Herzog family resided in the United States, where Chaim Herzog served as military attaché and Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations.

Between 1983 and 1993, Aura Herzog served as the First Lady of Israel. Following her husband's second presidential term, she chaired the public committee for the official celebrations of Israel’s 50th anniversary of independence and served on the public advisory board for television and radio broadcasting. Following her husband's passing in 1997, she established the Yad Chaim Herzog foundation to preserve the legacy of Israel's sixth president.

“Mr. President, we stand in profound grief with you and your family during this time of shared loss. Aura Herzog will forever remain in our hearts and in our memory,” declared the President of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress in a personal letter to the President of Israel, Isaac Herzog.