US President Joe Biden with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and his chief of staff, Rivka Ravitz. Photo: Haim Zach / GPO

US President Joe Biden kneeled down before Israeli President Reuven Rivlin’s chief of staff at the White House on Monday after discovering that the latter is a mother-of-12.

A photograph taken at the time shows Biden on his knee in front of Israel’s outgoing president and his chief of staff Rivka Ravitz, during Rivlin’s farewell visit to the US. The story made the front page of Yediot Ahronot on Friday.

According to the publication, when Rivlin introduced Ravitz to Biden, Israel’s premier said: “She’s a very religious woman, she has 12 children.” After kneeling down in front of her, Biden told Ravitz: “I have a picture of my mother here, you have to see who she was!”

Behind the scenes at the @WhiteHouse: President Biden knelt down before Rivka Ravitz, President Rivlin’s chief of staff, after finding out she is the mother of 12 children. pic.twitter.com/XtvBx9IPhG

— Noga Tarnopolsky (@NTarnopolsky) July 2, 2021

Rivlin will step down on July 9 when Isaac Herzog will be sworn in as Israel’s 11th president.

Ravitz has worked for Rivlin for almost 23 years. She was beside him during his career as a Likud MK and party chairman, communications minister, and Knesset speaker, and has served as his chief of staff during Rivlin’s seven-year term as Israel’s president. Her husband Yitzchak Ravitz, serves as mayor of the ultra-Orthodox town of Kiryat Yearim.