thumb|ofira navon ofira navon (, january 1, 1936 - august 1, 1993) was the wife of yitzhak navon, the fifth president of israel. ==biography== ofira navon was born in tel aviv, to batya and eliezer resnikov, prisoners of zion from russia. she earned an ma in education and psychology, and had professional certification in rehabilitation psychology from columbia university. she and yitzhak navon had two children, naama and erez. ==as first lady== thumb|250px|ofira navon park, jerusalem during her husband's presidency, from 1978 to 1983, navon raised the profile of the president's wife. as first lady, navon established the presidents council for the welfare of the child. she worked with jihan sadat, wife of the egyptian president, on rehabilitation projects for soldiers wounded in the arab-israeli conflict. navon also pushed for an international treaty to protect children caught in war zones. navon was the first israeli-born presidential wife. with her ashkenazi upbringing, her marriage to a sephardi jew was unusual at the time. the fact that they were parents of small children was another first for the presidency in israel. ==illness and death== in 1979, navon was diagnosed with breast cancer and rejected a mastectomy, opting for chemotherapy and a lumpectomy. later she argued for the right of patients to determine their own treatment. in august 1993, navon died of leukemia at hadassah medical center in jerusalem at the age of 57. ==references==   
1936_births 1993_deaths Burials_at_Mount_Herzl Cancer_deaths_in_Israel Israeli_psychologists People_from_Tel_Aviv Spouses_of_Presidents_of_Israel