Menashe Raz

Menashe Raz, one of the most familiar voices and faces of Israeli public broadcasting for more than four decades, died on 24 September 2026 at the age of 80, following what Israeli media described as a struggle with a serious illness. He was among Channel 1 and the Israel Broadcasting Authority's longest serving journalists, presenters and documentary directors, and his death was reported the same day by outlets including The Jerusalem Post and Israel Hayom.

Raz was born on 28 August 1946 in Gedera, the son of Arieh Raz, who served as a colonel in the Israel Defense Forces. He completed a degree in political science and international relations at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, having first trained as a broadcaster on Kol Yisrael during his military academic reserve service before transferring to serve as a military correspondent, editor and presenter on the army radio station Galei Tzahal.

He joined Kol Yisrael and went on to a long career at Israel's Channel 1, where he presented the flagship news programme Mabat and became one of the first hosts of the radio show Shirim VeShaarim. He was widely known for editing and hosting the current affairs programmes Mishak HaShabbat and Mesibat Itonaim (Press Conference), and he reported across political, military and general news beats over a career spanning more than 35 years at the public broadcaster. As an IDF reservist he was responsible for the operational documentation of the Israeli Air Force and directed films covering Israel's wars, the Gaza disengagement and air force personnel.

Raz was also a documentary filmmaker. He won the 1979 Kinor David (David's Violin) prize for a series of films he directed about conditions in Israeli prisons. In 2011 he stepped away from journalism to enter politics, joining the Kadima party with the stated intention of running for the Knesset. In May 2017 he generated public controversy after a Facebook post criticising the content of Israel's official Independence Day beacon lighting ceremony, remarks that were widely condemned by commentators as prejudiced against Mizrahi culture.

He lived in Herzliya. He was married twice: to Rinat Raz, with whom he had his eldest daughter, Maya, who later married actor Mark Ivanir, and subsequently to Anat, his second wife. He had two more children, Michal and Jonatan, and was a grandfather. News of his death prompted an outpouring of tributes from Israeli colleagues and viewers who grew up watching him present the evening news and Israel's Independence Day and Memorial Day broadcasts, and it closed a chapter for a generation of Israelis for whom his voice was part of daily public life.