Rivlin visits late wife Nechama’s grave to unveil gravestone

Accompanied by family and friends, President Reuven Rivlin visited the grave of his late wife Nechama on Thursday for the unveiling of her gravestone.

At a quiet ceremony marking 30 days since her passing on June 4, the president and the couple’s three children read Psalms and recited the kaddish, the Jewish mourner’s prayer.

Nechama Rivlin died on the eve of her 74th birthday at Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva, where she was being treated for complications following a lung transplant in March.

Nechama Rivlin had long suffered from pulmonary fibrosis, a condition in which scar tissue accumulates in the lungs and makes it difficult to breathe.

A statement from the President’s Residence said her gravestone contained the epitaph, “Nechama Rivlin, daughter of this land,” alongside a plaque reading, “She always lent a helping hand and treasured life’s simple moments.”

Her grave, in the Leaders of the Nation plot on Mount Herzl, is planted with herbs, including thyme, sage, mint and rosemary, the statement added, as well as “many others that Nechama particularly loved.”

Pebbles with hearts drawn on them, created by artist Keren Spielsher, were placed on the grave, a nod to the Jewish tradition of placing stones on the graves of loved ones.

After the ceremony, the Rivlin family held a private gathering at the President’s Official Residence that included a poetry reading.

Musicians Mark Eliyahu and Aviv Geffen were slated to perform some of Nechama Rivlin’s favorite songs at the event.