{"id":396203,"date":"2025-11-22T05:01:20","date_gmt":"2025-11-22T05:01:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/396203\/"},"modified":"2025-11-22T05:01:20","modified_gmt":"2025-11-22T05:01:20","slug":"miriam-feirberg-ikar-iron-lady-mayor-of-netanya-since-1998-dies-at-74","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/396203\/","title":{"rendered":"Miriam Feirberg-Ikar, ‘iron lady’ mayor of Netanya since 1998, dies at 74"},"content":{"rendered":"

Miriam Feirberg-Ikar, who served as mayor of Netanya since 1998, died on Friday after a years-long battle with a serious illness, according to an announcement from the coastal city.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are shocked and dismayed by the passing of our dearest Iron Lady of Netanya, the legendary mayor, Miriam Feirberg-Ikar,\u201d the municipality said on social media. \u201cWith her winning smile, Miriam became the face of Netanya in Israel and the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Details of Feirberg-Ikar\u2019s funeral will be announced later, the municipality said.<\/p>\n

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, head of the Likud party to which Feriberg-Ikar belonged, said she \u201cdedicated her life to public service, advancing society and bold, future-oriented urban development.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAt every meeting with her throughout the decades, Miriam asked to advance the city of Netanya. She lived, breathed and dreamed Netanya, and this is evident in the city\u2019s tremendous development under her leadership,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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President Isaac Herzog eulogized Feirberg-Ikar on X as a \u201clarger-than-life\u201d personality who showed\u00a0\u201ctrue leadership with a heart of gold and social sensitivity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tL-R: Netanya Miriam Feirberg-Ikar, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the premier\u2019s wife Sara Netanyahu attend the funeral of prominent Israeli defense attorney Yaakov Weinroth in the coastal city in central Israel, on October 16, 2018. (Flash90)<\/p>\n

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid also commended Feirberg-Ikar for having \u201cchanged the face of he city and contributed much to the development of sports and culture in Netanya.\u201d<\/p>\n

Feirberg-Ikar, a divorced mother of two, was born in Acre in northern Israel, and moved as a child with her family to Netanya. A social worker by training, she worked in various capacities in Netanya\u2019s municipality since the 1970s before being elected mayor in 1998 on the municipal Likud ticket.<\/p>\n

She was re-elected five more times, most recently in 2024. At the time of her death, Feirberg-Ikar was tied with Tel Aviv\u2019s Ron Huldai as the longest-serving mayor in Israel.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tNetanya Mayor Miriam Feirberg-Ikar arrives at the Rishon Lezion Magistrate\u2019s Court for a hearing amid a corruption probe against her, November 10, 2016. (Flash90)<\/p>\n

Under Feirberg-Ikar, Netanya attracted investments from large Israeli and international companies, including Cisco, Ikea and Cellcom. The city also saw large-scale real estate development, including the construction last year of a soccer stadium named Miriam Stadium after Feirberg-Ikar.<\/p>\n

Her tenure was also marked by several corruption scandals. She was investigated twice \u2014 once in her first term for alleged wiretapping of political rivals\u2019 offices, and again last decade for allegedly taking bribes<\/a> to promote real estate developments. In both cases, the State Prosecutor\u2019s Office determined there was insufficient evidence to charge the Netanya mayor.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tIllustrative: New buildings are constructed in the coastal city of Netanya, September 7, 2016. (Lior Mizrahi\/Flash90)<\/p>\n

The city in central Israel is home to an estimated 223,920 people, making it the seventh-largest city in the country after Jerusalem, Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Haifa, Petach Tikva, Rishon Lezion and Ashdod, according to the 2022 census.<\/p>\n

Netanya has also long been known inside Israel as a hub for crime, organized<\/a> or otherwise<\/a>, with a flourishing market for narcotics and firearms. The trend continued under Feirberg-Ikar, with Netanya\u2019s central-north neighborhood ranking third in overall crime, and first in number of break-ins, in 2024, according to the local MyNet news site.<\/p>\n


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