Yona Bartal was born in Vilna, Lithuania, and emigrated to Israel with her parents when she was three.

Using her vast experience in the communications market, she began working for the late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin a short time before signing the peace agreement with Jordan. After his assassination in 1995, Bartal started working for Prime Minister Shimon Peres, serving as his Deputy Director in office – first as a Prime Minister, then as the President of the state of Israel.

After his passing, Bartal founded the Shimon Peres Circle for Peace and Innovation, which she still directs today.

Throughout her intensive public career, Bartal took part in bilateral meetings with global decision-makers, both on and off the record, and forged worldwide connections with the most influential politicians and activists of the time. Her various public positions have helped her solve various humanitarian crises both locally and abroad.

Bartal is married with three children and three grandchildren.