Gila Katsav ( he, גילה קצב, born 1948) is an Israeli public figure who served as the

First Lady of Israel First Lady of Israel is the unofficial title of the wife of the president of Israel. The current first lady of Israel is Michal Herzog, wife of President Isaac Herzog. History There is no official role or office of the first lady of Israel, al ...

from 2000 until 2007 as the wife of former

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Moshe Katsav Moshe Katsav ( he, מֹשֶׁה קַצָּב; born 5 December 1945) is an Israeli former politician who was the List of Presidents of Israel, eighth President of Israel from 2000 to 2007. He was also a leading Likud member of the Israeli Knesset ...

Biography

Gila Katsav was born in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

. She is of

Polish-Jewish The history of the Jews in Poland dates back at least 1,000 years. For centuries, Poland was home to the largest and most significant Ashkenazi Jewish community in the world. Poland was a principal center of Jewish culture, because of the lon ...

and

Ukrainian-Jewish The history of the Jews in Ukraine dates back over a thousand years; Jewish communities have existed in the territory of Ukraine from the time of the Kievan Rus' (late 9th to mid-13th century). Some of the most important Jewish religious and ...

ancestry. One of her grandfathers was among the founders of

Bnei Brak Bnei Brak or Bene Beraq ( he, בְּנֵי בְּרַק ) is a city located on the central Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean Israeli coastal plain, coastal plain in Israel, just east of Tel Aviv. A center of Haredi Judaism, Bnei Brak covers an are ...

. In 1969, she married

. The couple has five children, four sons and a daughter, and two grandchildren. Katsav is involved in personal volunteer activities for children who come from disadvantaged families as part of the efforts of “The Council for the Sheltered Child. She also volunteered for the Rehabilitation Department of

Yad Sarah Yad Sarah ( he, יד שרה) is the largest national volunteer organization in Israel. Employing over 6,000 volunteers, with a salaried staff of 150, Yad Sarah serves over 350,000 clients each year. It is best known for its free loans of over 244,0 ...

, a voluntary organization which specializes in providing

home care Homecare (also spelled as home care) is health care or supportive care provided by a professional caregiver in the individual home where the patient or client is living, as opposed to care provided in group accommodations like clinics or nursing ho ...

and lending medical equipment without charge. Katsav served as the First Lady of Israel from 2000 until 2007 during the tenure of her husband. In May 2005, Katsav led U.S. First Lady

Laura Bush Laura Lane Welch Bush (''née'' Welch; born November 4, 1946) is an American teacher, librarian, memoirist and author who was First Lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009. Bush previously served as First Lady of Texas from 1995 to 2000. ...

on a tour of the

Yad Vashem Yad Vashem ( he, יָד וַשֵׁם; literally, "a memorial and a name") is Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; honoring Jews who fought against th ...

and a controversial visit to the

Western Wall The Western Wall ( he, הַכּוֹתֶל הַמַּעֲרָבִי, HaKotel HaMa'aravi, the western wall, often shortened to the Kotel or Kosel), known in the West as the Wailing Wall, and in Islam as the Buraq Wall (Arabic: حَائِط � ...

. Gila Katsav publicly defended her husband, then-President Moshe Katsav, against allegations of rape and sexual harassment. In September 2006, she told journalists attending an exhibition at the

Jerusalem Theater The Jerusalem Theatre ( he, תיאטרון ירושלים, The Jerusalem Centre for the Performing Arts) is a centre for the performing arts in Jerusalem. The theatre opened in 1971. The complex consists of the Sherover Theatre, which seats 9 ...

, "I have no doubt that my husband is innocent. I'm certain that the truth will come to light...We are undergoing difficult times, but we're alright and will get through them." President Katsav resigned from office in 2007 as part of a plea deal, but was convicted of rape and obstruction of justice in 2010. She accompanied her husband upon his release from

Ma'asiyahu Prison Maasiyahu Prison is a minimum-security prison in Ramle, Israel, run by the Israel Prison Service. History Prisoners who have proven responsible have access to various places of employment and education programs, the right to take vacations from pr ...

in December 2015.

References

External links

Biography at the official site of the wives of the presidents
{{DEFAULTSORT:Katsav, Gila Living people Date of birth missing (living people) 1948 births Spouses of presidents of Israel Israeli Jews People from Tel Aviv