Aura Herzog
Aura Herzog was the wife of President Chaim Herzog.
Aura was born in 1924 in Ismailia, Egypt, to her parents Leah and Simcha Ambasche, who served as a chief engineer at the Suez Canal. Her mother’s father, Yehiel Michael Steinberg, was one of the founders of the Moshava Motza located in Jerusalem’s region. The family’s name, Ambasche, was an acronym of the Hebrew saying “I believe in complete faith” (אמב”ש- אני מאמין באמונה שלמה). Aura was a younger sister of Nachman, Suzy and Tzila.
During World War II, Aura moved to South Africa and studied mathematics and physics at the University of the Witwatersrand. After her studies, she returned to live in Cairo.
Her family home in Cairo was a center for Jewish visitors who were on their way to the Holyland. One of the visitors was Chaim Herzog. The two met during his visit to Cairo and after immigrating to Israel they married in May 1947.
after Immigrating, Aura was a member of the ‘Hagana’ underground and participated in a diplomats course. In March 1948, Aura Herzog was seriously injured in an attack on the National Institutions House in Jerusalem and was rescued from the ruins by her husband, who was nearby.
In 1958, she was the general secretary of the committee responsible for the decade celebrations of the State of Israel. As part of her role in this committee, she initiated an International Bible Quiz, which has become a tradition and is held every year on Israel’s Independence Day.
Aura Herzog was a trailblazer in her activities for environment in Israel in the years when there was no high awareness of that issue. In 1969, she founded the “Council for a Beautiful Israel”, a leading environmental organization in Israel and the Middle East, and chaired it until 2006.
In the years 1983-1993 Aura Herzog was the First Lady of the State of Israel during her husband’s term as President of the State. Aura was known as a dominant and influential President’s wife. She made into reality the ideas she presented in her book about manners and customs, “The Secrets of Hospitality”, that was published in 1971. In the 40th year of the State of Israel she chaired a National Cleanliness operation and a decade later she chaired the public committee for Israel’s Jubilee 50th Celebrations.
Aura Herzog passed away in 2022 at the age of 97. Aura and Chaim Herzog left behind four children, many grandchildren and great-grandchildren who continue their many years of public life.
Aura and Chaim Herzog in the Sukkah at President’s Residence in Jerusalem. Credit: GPO.
Aura and Chaim Herzog in the city of Toledo, Spain, 1992, photo: Yaakov Sa’ar
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Interview with firs lady Aura Herzog in the program “Weekend with Ehud Manor”, 1992.
*Courtesy of the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation.