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Yitzhak Cohen

 

 
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Yitzhak Cohen
 
 
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Rabbi Yitzhak Cohen (born 2 December 1951) is an Israel
Israel

Israel officially the State of Israel , is a country in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area....
i politician who has served as a member of the Knesset
Knesset

The Knesset is the legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem....
 for Shas
Shas

Shas is a List of political parties in Israel in Israel, primarily representing Haredi Judaism Sephardi Jews and Mizrahi Jews Judaism. Following the Israeli legislative election, 2006 in which Shas won 12 seats, it joined Ehud Olmert's coalition government and holds four cabinet posts....
 since 1996, and is the current Minister of Religious Services
Religious Services Minister of Israel

The Religious Services Minister of Israel is the political head of the Israeli Ministry of the Religious Services and a relatively minor position in the Cabinet of Israel....
.

in Ashkelon
Ashkelon

Ashkelon or Ashqelon is a coastal city in the South District of Israel. The ancient seaport of Ashkelon dates back to the Bronze Age. In the course of its history, it has been ruled by the Canaanites, the Philistines, the Babylonians, the Phoenicians, the Ancient Romes, the Muslims and the Crusaders....
, Cohen served on the city's council and was its former deputy mayor.

He served as Secretary-General of Shas' educational institution (El HaMa'ayan). He was first elected to Knesset
Knesset

The Knesset is the legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem....
 in 1996. In his time in Knesset he has served on the Finance Committee, Labor and Welfare Committee, Committee on Foreign Workers, Foreign Affairs & Defense Committee, Joint Committee for the Defense Budget, Special Committee for Discussion of the Security Service Law Substitute Member, Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, and the House Committee.






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Rabbi Yitzhak Cohen (born 2 December 1951) is an Israel
Israel

Israel officially the State of Israel , is a country in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area....
i politician who has served as a member of the Knesset
Knesset

The Knesset is the legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem....
 for Shas
Shas

Shas is a List of political parties in Israel in Israel, primarily representing Haredi Judaism Sephardi Jews and Mizrahi Jews Judaism. Following the Israeli legislative election, 2006 in which Shas won 12 seats, it joined Ehud Olmert's coalition government and holds four cabinet posts....
 since 1996, and is the current Minister of Religious Services
Religious Services Minister of Israel

The Religious Services Minister of Israel is the political head of the Israeli Ministry of the Religious Services and a relatively minor position in the Cabinet of Israel....
.

Biography

Born in Ashkelon
Ashkelon

Ashkelon or Ashqelon is a coastal city in the South District of Israel. The ancient seaport of Ashkelon dates back to the Bronze Age. In the course of its history, it has been ruled by the Canaanites, the Philistines, the Babylonians, the Phoenicians, the Ancient Romes, the Muslims and the Crusaders....
, Cohen served on the city's council and was its former deputy mayor.

He served as Secretary-General of Shas' educational institution (El HaMa'ayan). He was first elected to Knesset
Knesset

The Knesset is the legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem....
 in 1996. In his time in Knesset he has served on the Finance Committee, Labor and Welfare Committee, Committee on Foreign Workers, Foreign Affairs & Defense Committee, Joint Committee for the Defense Budget, Special Committee for Discussion of the Security Service Law Substitute Member, Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, and the House Committee. He has also been a member of the Knesset Forum on the Middle East lobby, and is currently a member of the Lobby for Ethiopian Immigrants.

He became the Minister of Religious Affairs in July 1999, and resigned a year later. He served as the Deputy Minister of Finance from 2001-2003. In 2006 he was appointed the Minister without Portfolio, and is in charge of religious councils, a role convertedto Religious Services Minister in January 2008.

In 2007 he criticized the US report that Iran had stopped its nuclear program in 2003. He said the report was "ordered by someone who wants dialogue with Tehran". He compared the event to when the US got intelligence in World War Two that said there was trains going to concentration camps, and they said they were being used for industrial purposes. In 2009, in an interview with the Spiegel, he threatened to suspend relations with the Vatican, following the lifting of the excommunication of controversial bishop Richard Williamson.

He retained his seat in the 2009 elections, having been placed third on the Shas list.

Personal life

Cohen resides in Ashkelon, and is married, with ten children. He was educated at a Talmudic College. He can speak Hebrew, English, and Arabic.