Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Ruth Dayan, Israeli fashion designer, dies at 103

Ruth Dayan, the Israeli fashion designer and peace activist who was married to one of the country’s most revered generals, has died at the age of 103

Via AP news wire
Friday 05 February 2021 09:59 EST
Israel Obit Ruth Dayan
Israel Obit Ruth Dayan (1958 AP)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Ruth Dayan, the Israeli fashion designer and peace activist who was married to one of the country s most revered generals, has died at the age of 103, Israeli media reported Friday.

Dayan founded the Maskit fashion house in 1954, whose designs were inspired by the cultural heritage of Jewish immigrants as well as Israel's Arab community. She was also an active proponent of peace with the Palestinians and supported charitable causes.

The company employed new immigrants and eventually grew to be a major exporter. It has collaborated with Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, and Givenchy, and boasts that one of its coats was worn by Audrey Hepburn.

Ruth was the first wife of Moshe Dayan, the one-eyed commander who led forces during Israel’s 1948 war of independence and was defense minister during the 1967 war, when it rapidly defeated its Arab neighbors. They were married from 1935 until their divorce in 1971 and had three children together.

Israel's largely ceremonial president, Reuven Rivlin, mourned Dayan's passing. She was “an outstanding woman and a role model for entrepreneurs, who had boundless love for this place and its people, whoever they may be," he said in a statement.

Dayan maintained a 40-year friendship with Raymonda Tawil, a Palestinian journalist and the mother-in-law of the iconic Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Their relationship is the subject of a 2015 book by the historian Anthony David.

She was also a member of the public council of B'Tselem, an Israeli group that documents human rights violations in the territories Israel seized in 1967.

“She determinately opposed the occupation and even against a wide consensus and overwhelming silence bravely made her voice heard,” B'Tselem tweeted. “May her memory be a blessing.”

Dayan was born in 1917 in the coastal city of Haifa, when what is now Israel was part of the crumbling Ottoman Empire. She is survived by her daughter, the author and former parliament member Yael Dayan, and grandchildren. She outlived her other two children, actor and director Assi Dayan, who died in 2014, and sculptor Udi Dayan, who died in 2017.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in