Born on September 5, 1962, in Ramla, Israel, Orna Barbivai grew up in Afula as the eldest child in a family of eight, with parents Tzila, a Jewish immigrant from Iraq, and Eli Shochetman, a Jewish immigrant from Romania. Drafted into the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in 1981, she spent her entire 33-year military career in the Manpower Directorate, rising to brigadier general before her historic promotion to major general (Aluf) in 2011—the first woman to achieve this rank—serving as its head until her retirement in 2014. She holds a bachelor's degree in social sciences and humanities from Ben-Gurion University and an MBA from the University of Haifa, and completed the 'Turn-point' administration course for senior military officials. Married to Moshe Barbivai, they have three children and reside in Tel Aviv. Barbivai entered politics on January 1, 2019, joining Yesh Atid and securing a Knesset seat via the Blue and White alliance, representing Blue and White (2019-2020) and Yesh Atid (2020-2023). She served as Minister of Economy from 2021 to 2022. Post-Knesset, she became volunteering president of The Women’s Courtyard, aiding at-risk young women, and in 2025 was revealed as the broccoli mask on Israel's Masked Singer. She considered a 2023 Tel Aviv mayoral run but did not pursue it prominently. Throughout her career, Barbivai has been recognized for advancing gender integration in the IDF and public service, drawing from her experiences in a financially constrained family to champion empowerment and opportunity.