GOVERNMENT

Reuven Rivlin

President of Israel

Reuven Rivlin is the 10th President of the State of Israel, a position he has held since June 2014. During 2020, Rivlin has been increasingly concerned with the coronavirus pandemic. In September, he sparked the ire of some Israeli politicians by apologizing to the Israeli public after a second lockdown was imposed ahead of the High Holidays. Israel’s “leadership didn’t do enough to be worthy of your attention,” the plain-speaking Rivlin said. “You trusted us and we let you down.” Rivlin also reflected on the price the pandemic had exacted upon Israeli society: “Our synagogues were closed during the Passover holiday, our mosques were closed during Ramadan, and up till today my heart aches when I think of the bereaved families who have not visited the graves of loved ones on their remembrance day.” (Photo: Wikimedia / Creative Commons License)