Rivka Ravitz

Rivka Ravitz (; born 1976) is an Israeli Haredi political administrator. Starting in 1999, she worked for Israeli politician Reuven Rivlin, first as his bureau chief and campaign adviser, and, since his election as President of Israel in 2014, as his chief of staff. She has received extensive media coverage for being a Haredi mother of 12 in a high-profile political position.

Early life and education She was born in Israel in 1976 to American immigrant parents. She is the second of 10 siblings.

Career

After marrying at age 18, Ravitz began working part-time as a teacher. However, the pay was low – 700 shekels per month – so when her father-in-law, Rabbi Avraham Ravitz, head of the Knesset Finance Committee, needed a parliamentary assistant, she applied for the job. She then began working as a parliamentary assistant to Reuven Rivlin, another member of the Finance Committee, at a salary of 4,500 shekels per month.

As chief of staff, Ravitz oversees Rivlin's entire staff, and schedules all his meetings and state visits, both in Israel and abroad. She also selects the gifts he gives on state visits. During Rivlin's 2015 visit to the Vatican, a photograph showing Pope Francis bowing to Ravitz while she remained erect led to media reports that the Haredi woman had refused to bow in greeting because Francis was wearing a cross. Later news reports clarified that Ravitz had bowed to Francis first, in lieu of shaking hands, and he had responded with his own bow, having been informed beforehand of her religious sensitivities. In 2023, she clarified the story, saying the ambassador had forgotten to tell the Pope's office that she would not be able to shake hands and bow beforehand and indeed, when she was forced to explain this herself to the pope, despite it being a high profile visit, the Pope had bowed to her in respect of her religious resilience. Traveling with the president, she observes the laws of Shabbat and kashrut as well.

She was offered by then President-Elect Isaac Herzog to continue on in her position, but she decided not to accept.

Personal life She married at the age of 18 to Yitzhak Ravitz, who, between 2014 and 2018 served as deputy mayor of Beitar Illit. The family moved in late 2018 to Kiryat Ye'arim (Telz-Stone), where her husband was elected to the local council; in January 2019 he was elected as mayor in special elections held after the sudden death of the previous mayor. The couple has nine daughters and two sons. Despite her non-traditional career path for a Haredi woman, she and her husband maintain a strong religious home. They do not have internet access in the house, nor bring in any newspapers, secular or religious.