(PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE)

Former Beis Yaakov student Nechama Spiegel-Novak, a mother of four, identifies herself as a member of the chareidi community. On Wednesday, 20 Sivan, she flew Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to Salonika for a trilateral summit with leader of Greece and Cyprus. Mrs. Spiegel-Novak was accepted to El Al’s pilot school in 2015 and completed her training successfully a number of months ago.

Mrs. Spiegel-Novak, who is married and the mother of four, wears a sheitel and lives in a chareidi community near Yerushalayim. At the age of 20 she began learning flying in the USA. She received a pilot’s license in the United States and has since been working to get accepted to El Al’s pilot school. She passed the eligibility requirements despite not having served in the Israel Air Force. Previously, she was bumped for lacking flight hours.

In an effort to accumulate a sufficient number of flying hours, she flew to the United States annually, flying there and finally meeting all requirements. She had a child during the course and returned to the class after maternity leave.

Yediot Achronot adds she has told close friends “her life’s dream” is to become an active pilot and this has given her the koach to endure.

PM Netanyahu flew to Salonika on Wednesday for the third trilateral summit between the leaders of Israel, Greece and Cyprus. Minsters Yuval Steinitz, Ofir Akunis and Eli Cohen will accompany Prime Minister Netanyahu to the G2G meeting and the signing of agreements.

Prime Minister Netanyahu met meet with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, and with Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades. He also took part in a trilateral meeting after which a joint statement was issued that included tripartite cooperation in the fields of energy, communications, environmental protection, innovation and scientific research and development. There will also be an Israel-Greece-Cyprus meeting between the heads of government, ministers and delegations, focusing on “economic growth through innovation and initiatives.”

The goal of the inter-governmental consultations and the trilateral meeting is to continue strengthening the developing strategic cooperation between the three countries and to hold discussions on regional and strategic issues.

Also in the framework of the visit was the unveiling of a plaque to mark the construction of the [future] Holocaust Museum in Thessaloniki as well as a ceremony in which Greek Prime Minister Tsipras read a letter of gratitude to the State of Israel from local leaders from the island of Cephalonia over the assistance of the Israeli navy in the wake of the 1953 earthquake. (Israeli navy vessels were among the first to reach the island.)

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem/Photos: Media Resource Group)