A funny, but serious, man

I have known Reuven Rivlin for more than 40 years now. We first met in the 1970s, when Rivlin was a young lawyer and also the chairman of the Beitar Jerusalem soccer team. At the time, I was a sports writer for Haaretz and I chatted with Rivlin often. I was impressed by his decency, honesty, fiery demeanor, strong emotions and well-developed sense of humor.

In 1988, Rivlin was elected to the Knesset for the first time and he told me about his preparations for his first speech before the legislative body. "When I was elected to the Knesset, along with Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Begin, Begin and I sat for four months in the plenum to listen to the speeches of other MKs and to learn from them the proper way to express ourselves," Rivlin said.

"Begin hesitated for a while about going to the podium to give his first speech, while I decided to give my first speech on the subject of planning and construction," Rivlin continued. "I felt that I understood this matter, as I had been a member of the Jerusalem City Council for 10 years."

In 1998, I asked Rivlin to write by hand a few casual sentences, so a graphologist could analyze his personality. Rivlin complied willingly, and even showed his sense of humor, writing, "I don't, and won't, have any claims against you if my handwriting leads to unflattering revelations, since I was stupid enough to give it [to you], as if I were Red Riding Hood, who, knowing what happened to Aunt Chatterley, entered the forest full of hope."

In her analysis of Rivlin's handwriting, the graphologist noted, "Rivlin's public image is one of a lighthearted and not particularly serious man, but this could not be more wrong. His handwriting indicates the personality of a neat, organized and very meticulous individual. Rivlin is a pleasant and good-natured man, friendly and humorous, but he is also a very serious person who invests a lot of energy in details. Rivlin is an involved individual who truly cares about everything around him."

"Rivlin believes what he says and says only what he believes, even if he does so in a breezy and entertaining fashion," she continued.

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