Former MK Esterina Tartman Dies at 68 After Illness

Former Member of Knesset Esterina Tartman, who served in the 16th and 17th Knessets for the Yisrael Beiteinu party, passed away Wednesday morning at the age of 68 following a prolonged illness. Party chairman Avigdor Lieberman eulogized her, stating, "I received with great sorrow the news of the untimely passing of former MK Esterina Tartman, may her memory be blessed. Esterina dedicated many years to public service and to the State of Israel, acting with devotion and determination. My sincere condolences to her family and all her loved ones during this difficult time. May her memory be blessed."

Tartman was born in 1967 as Esterina Shabtai to a religious Sephardic family in Jerusalem. In her youth, she studied at the Haredi "Beit Yaakov" school, and at age 15, she moved to the religious kibbutz Hafetz Haim. She served in the IDF as the Officer of the City of Jerusalem, and after her discharge with the rank of Major, she established a private human resources company.

She first entered the Knesset as part of the joint list of Yisrael Beiteinu and the National Union at the end of the 16th Knesset term. In the elections for the 17th Knesset, she was elected to the Knesset in fifth place on the Yisrael Beiteinu list. Ahead of the elections for the 18th Knesset, she was not placed in a realistic position on the Yisrael Beiteinu list, and she announced her retirement from the list and from politics.