JERUSALEM (JTA) — Educator and writer Shmuel Ben-Artzi, the father of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife, Sara, has died.
Ben-Artzi died Wednesday at the Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center in Jerusalem at the age of 97. The prime minister, his wife and their two sons reportedly were with him when he died.
Ben-Artzi immigrated to Israel from Poland in 1933, and served in the Irgun and Haganah underground organizations.
An educator, he earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Bible studies, literature and Hebrew from the University of Haifa. He also published several books, including poetry books, children’s books and a novel.
Ben-Artzi helped his grandson, Avner Netanyahu, prepare for the National Bible Quiz, which Avner won in 2010 at the age of 15.
At the end of his life he was cared for by Sara Netanyahu at the prime minister’s residence.
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