Ranan Lurie was born on May 26, 1932 to Joseph and Shoshanna, who traveled from Tel Aviv to Port Said, Egypt, at the invitation of Joseph’s father (Rabbi Isaiah Lurie) to give birth to their first child at his home. (This event gave him an advantage when he met with President Sadat (1977 and 1979) as well as with President Mubarak (1984 and 1997) for interviews and portrait-sittings). Two weeks after his birth Ranan and his parents returned to Tel Aviv. His father was sixth-generation Jerusalem-born and his mother seventh-generation.