nava meir
Nava was born to Uri and Rachel Meir in the ancient settlement of Ein Gedi, located on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. She has an older brother and sister, Samuel and Miriam. At age 10, she and her family moved to Jerusalem. She is a first cousin to Rachel and Jakob Hirsch.
Nava’s father joined the Israeli Defense Force as a young man and rose quickly through the ranks to major general (Aluf). He died in a Palestinian suicide bombing on the Jaffa Road in 2000. Nava was devastated. She idolized her father.
She attended the Makor Ha Tikvan grade school. It is the only Hebrew-speaking Messianic day school in Israel. In high school, she attended the Anglican University College. She received her undergraduate and PhD from the Hebrew University, majoring in archeology. She dated several boys in high school, but only one developed into a serious relationship. His name was Lev Jacobs. He was handsome, athletic, and totally void of a sense of humor. In fact, his severe attitude toward life eventually convinced Nava to look elsewhere for romance. They remain friends, however, to this day.
While Nava’s father practiced Judaism, her mother was a Messianic Jew. A Messianic Jew follows many of the Jewish customs but also believes in the Christian New Testament. Nava’s mother raised both of her children in a Messianic fashion, which created tension in Nava’s life at home and at school. At an early age, she was bullied for her beliefs but learned to defend herself both verbally and physically when she was in the 4th grade. As a result, she carried with her a strong sense of self. She detested bullies and, much like Michael Shaw, she would not tolerate them.
As a child, Nava witnessed the horror of a suicide terrorist bombing that killed 11 men, women, and children. She and her mother were injured in this attack. Understandably, it created an indelible impact on her. In her mid-twenties, she experienced another act of violence that changed her life forever. She and her brother, Samuel, were ambushed by a group of Palestinians terrorist while on a trip to the West Bank. Samuel was killed.
The tragedy of that day, when combined with the death of her father, hardened her in a way she hadn’t expected. Within a week, she began studying Muay Thai. This 1000-year-old martial art practice originated in Thailand as a close-combat battlefield tactic. Within ten years, she was sanctioned by the International Federation of Muaythai Associations (IFMA), at the 18th level of the Khan System of ranking. There is only one more level above that designation. In short, she became a lethal weapon.
As a teenager, Nava enrolled in the Masa Teen Journey, which offered high schoolers 6- to 8-week immersive programs focused on leadership, personal growth, and impactful community volunteering. She also spent a month at Camp Dror, an active sleep-away camp for English- and Hebrew-speaking girls in the Golan Heights, offering hiking, kayaking, and outdoor workshops. But it was the time she spent on school outings at Beit Guvrin National Park that set the trajectory of her life. Older girls participated in the "Dig for a Day" program, joining real archeological excavations in ancient caves. She attended these events with her cousin Rachel Hirsch.
She became a student of Jewish history and spent countless hours reading books on the great men and women of Israel, both past and present. The woman she admired most was Prime Minister Golda Meir. She marveled at the ferocity the Prime Minister exhibited while governing a nation at constant war in the Middle East. It was this love for perseverance in the face of overwhelming odds that drove Nava to become the woman of purpose and action.
Nava’s love for archaeology was inspired by her cousin Rachel but anchored in her relationship with her Uncle Avraham, professor of archaeology at the Hebrew University. He took Nava on her first state-sponsored dig when she was fourteen, near the Caesarea National Park. They explored the ruins of King Herod’s harbor, a Roman amphitheater, and an ancient aqueduct. She fell in love with unearthing Israel’s past and never considered another path for her future.
While serving her mandatory two-year stint with the Israeli Military, she joined a mixed combat unit, the Caracal Company. A co-ed infantry unit under the Nahal Brigade, she served with distinction patrolling Israel’s southern border with Egypt and Jordan, guarding against drug smugglers and terrorist infiltration. Twice she came under fire and was wounded in the 12-Day Rising Lion Operation. She received recognition for serving under immense pressure, pulling bodies from the rubble and rescuing civilians trapped in their shattered homes, all while enduring relentless missile fire from Iran. She was inspired to volunteer for this division of the military because it was the home of her Aunt, Talia Hirsch, Rachel’s mother.
Following her military service, attended the Hebrew University, graduating with a degree in Anthropology with an emphasis on archeology. She began her career with the Israeli Institute of Archeology. Private developers, government ministries, and municipalities funded their work. This is where she first began working for Bruder Antiques, owned by David Bruder.
Nava was married for five years to a fellow archeologist, Eitan Stern. He was a handsome, roguish misfit who leveraged his good looks to achieve many of the things in his life: money, minor fame, and a beautiful wife. Nava was fully aware of the dangers he embodied, but there was something about him that she found captivating. There were many ups and downs to the early years of marriage, but the relationship splintered when she caught him in an act of adultery. He was having an affair with Nava’s best friend. She walked out on him that day and never went back. She has since dated sporadically, but at the time of our novel, she is living as a single, attractive, career-driven woman.