Gantz in 2017, photo by Roman Yanushevsky/Bigstock.com
Place of Birth: Kfar Ahim, Israel
Date of Birth: 9 June, 1959
Ethnicity: Ashkenazi Jewish
Benny Gantz is an Israeli soldier and politician. He has served as the 20th Chief of the General Staff, from 14 February, 2011 to 16 February, 2015.
He is the son of Malka and Nahum/Nachum Gantz. His father was a Romanian Jew. His mother was a Hungarian Jew, from Mezőkovácsháza. She survived the Holocaust. His parents were among the co-founders of the Moshav Kfar Ahim, a cooperative agricultural community in south-central Israel. He has Austrian Jewish, Polish Jewish, Moravian Jewish, and Alsatian Jewish ancestry farther back.
He is married to Revital, and has four children.
Benny’s paternal grandfather was Aryeh Ganz (the son of Lipot Ganz and Ester). Aryeh was born in Săcel, Maramures, Romania. He was killed by the Nazis in 1944.
Benny’s paternal grandmother was Frida Fruma Hirsch (the daughter of Shlomo Hirsch and Rivka Pollak). Shlomo was the son of Yechiel Hirsch and Rivka Hirsch. Benny’s great-grandmother Rivka was the daughter of Rabbi Hillel Pollak and Pesel Feldmann. Rabbi Hillel was from the Sasregen Hasidic dynasty.
Benny’s maternal grandfather had the surname Weiss.
Benny’s maternal grandmother was the daughter of Janos Teichner and Fani Vanderstein. Janos was the son of Jozsef Teichner and Karlota Wanderstein. Fani was the daughter of Karl Jakob Wanderstein and Josefa Schwarz. Janos and Fani evidently were half-first cousins, sharing the same grandfather.
Source: Genealogy of Benny Gantz – https://www.geni.com