President Rivlin’s bust unveiled during final week in office

A bust of outgoing President Reuven Rivlin was installed Monday in the Avenue of the Presidents, at the President’s Residence.

The sculpture was erected alongside those of Rivlin’s predecessors two days before he completes his seven-year term and is replaced by Isaac Herzog.

On a plaque beneath the bust is a quote from Rivlin: “Without the ability to listen, there is no ability to learn. Without the ability to learn, there is no ability to repair.”

“In the house of my father and mother, I breathed the spirit of humanity. I absorbed Jewish tradition, the [lessons of early Revisionist Zionist leader Ze’ev] Jabotinsky, but more than anything I learned to listen. I learned to respect the belief of the other, and I learned to acknowledge their pain,” the extended quote reads.

Despite his right-wing beliefs in favor of Greater Israel, Rivlin was known for his work as president in bringing together what he referred to as the “four tribes of Israel” — secular, national religious, ultra-Orthodox, and Arab.

The bust was created by artist Sigalit Landau out of brass.

Rivlin thanked Landau in a statement, saying: “I can only express my pride that I have had the privilege of having my face made by her hands. Thank you, Sigalit, for being so gentle, kind, and good-humored during the creative process.”