President Donald Trump, who is currently on a state visit in the UK, on Wednesday morning tweeted: “Melania and I send our deepest condolences to President Reuven Rivlin and the entire State of Israel upon the passing of Mrs. Nechama Rivlin. Mrs. Rivlin represented her beloved country with grace and stature. We will miss her along with all those who knew her.”
The grammar was a bit choppy, but the sentiment was heartfelt.
. Melania and I send our deepest condolences to President Reuven Rivlin and the entire State of Israel upon the passing of Mrs. Nechama Rivlin. Mrs. Rivlin represented her beloved country with grace and stature. We will miss her along with all those who knew her.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)
The Trumps met with the Rivlins about two years ago, during the visit of the President and his wife to Israel. The encounter produced a particularly emotional and authentic moment between Nechama and Melania, which was immortalized in a picture in which Rivlin holds her portable oxygen tank in one hand and Melania Trump’s hand in the other, as the American first lady looks at her warmly.
“In the hustle and bustle of this important and historic visit, I also got to know the first lady Melania,” Rivlin later posted on her husband’s Facebook page. “A charming woman inside and out, sensitive and special.”
“While we were together, I brought her a gift I had bought for their son, 11-year-old Baron, the charming book ‘Hug’ by [Israeli author] David Grossman, illustrated by Michal Rovner, in three copies: Hebrew, Arabic and English,” Rivlin related. “It was important for me to give Baron, who remained at home and is only 11, a souvenir from his parents’ tour of Israel. There is no more suitable a gift than a book so beautiful, that tells about love through an embrace. A book for children, but one that also concerns adults.”
“Melania was very moved, and immediately understood, even before reading the content, that this is a story about a mother and her child. I very much hope that Baron will like the book as much as I do,” Nechama Rivlin wrote.