Naftali Bennett

Naftali Bennett (Hebrew: נַפְתָּלִי בֶּנֶט; born 25 March 1972) is an Israeli politician, software entrepreneur, and former military officer who served as the 13th prime minister of Israel from 13 June 2021 to 30 June 2022. Born in Haifa to American immigrant parents, Bennett completed compulsory military service in the Israel Defense Forces' elite Sayeret Matkal commando unit and later commanded a platoon in the Maglan special forces unit during the 1990s. In 1999, he co-founded the cybersecurity firm Cyota, serving as CEO until its acquisition by RSA Security in 2005 for $145 million, which established his reputation as a successful tech entrepreneur before entering politics. Bennett's political career began as chief of staff to Benjamin Netanyahu from 2006 to 2008, followed by leadership of the right-wing Jewish Home party from 2012 to 2018, during which he held ministerial posts including economy, education, and defense. As head of the Yamina alliance, he formed a broad coalition government in 2021 that included parties across the political spectrum, marking the first non-Netanyahu-led government in over a decade and passing key legislation like a multi-year budget amid ongoing security challenges. His tenure emphasized economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, technological innovation, and security measures, though it ended after the coalition's collapse, leading to new elections; Bennett has since focused on private ventures while critiquing judicial overreach and advocating for term limits on the premiership.

Naftali Bennett was born on March 25, 1972, in Haifa, Israel, to Jim and Myrna (née Lefko) Bennett, American Jewish immigrants from San Francisco who made aliyah in 1967 immediately following Israel's victory in the Six-Day War, motivated by Zionist ideals.

Raised in an English-speaking home yet immersed in Israel's Hebrew-centric society, Bennett grew up in a religious Zionist environment that emphasized Jewish self-reliance, Torah study alongside modern education, and a strong attachment to the biblical land of Israel. This upbringing, including attendance at a yeshiva high school in Haifa, instilled values of ideological commitment and practical initiative that later influenced his worldview.

An adherent of Modern Orthodox Judaism, Bennett observes traditional practices such as Shabbat and kashrut while integrating into secular professional and social spheres, distinguishing his approach from haredi ultra-Orthodoxy. He wears a small knit kippah, a marker of religious Zionist identity, and has attended Modern Orthodox synagogues during visits to the United States, reflecting familial ties to American Jewish communities. His parents, Jim and Myrna Bennett, emigrated from San Francisco to Israel in 1967 shortly after the Six-Day War, instilling in him a bicoastal perspective on Jewish observance amid diaspora influences.