Yitzhak Levy
Encyclopedia
Rabbi Yitzhak Levy is an Israel
i rabbi and politician who served as a member of the Knesset
for the National Religious Party
(NRP) and the Ahi faction of the National Union
between 1988 and 2009. Between 1998 and 2002 he was NRP leader, and also held several ministerial portfolios.
in Morocco
in 1947, the son of Daniel-Yitzhak Levy
, who later served as a member of the Knesset for the National Religious Party. The family immigrated
to Israel in 1957. He studied at Yeshivat Kerem B'Yavneh
and Yeshivat Hakotel
, where he received rabbinical ordination. He served as an officer in the IDF
, achieving the rank of major. He was a member of the Bnei Akiva
Executive and World Secretariat, and Secretary-General of the National Religious Movement from 1986 to 1995. He was the Rabbi of the Bnei Akiva Talmudic College in Kfar Maimon
and was among the initiators of the establishment of the Jewish quarter in Jerusalem, and one of the founders of the Israeli settlement
of Elon Moreh
in the West Bank
.
He was elected to the Knesset in 1988 on the National Religious Party list. He was a member of the House Committee from 1988 to 1996 and the Labor and Social Welfare Committee from 1988 to 1992. He was also chairman the Ethics Committee and the children welfare lobby, as well as the Israel-Argentina
Parliamentary Friendship League. Since 1988 he has been a member of the Committee on Constitution, Law and Justice.
In June 1996 he was appointed Minister of Transportation by Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu
. In February 1998, after the death of Zevulun Hammer
, he became the leader of the NRP and served as Minister of Education until July 1999. He also served as Minister of Religious Affairs, a position he held in rotation.
In July 1999 he was appointed Minister of Housing and Construction
. Following his appointment, he resigned from the Knesset in order to allow the next person on the NRP list, Nahum Langental
, to enter the Knesset. In July 2000, following the Camp David Summit, he resigned from the government.
On November 2, 2000 his 28-year-old daughter, Ayelet Hashahar Levy, was killed by Palestinian car bomb in Jerusalem.
In April 2002, during Operation Defensive Shield
, he resigned as leader of the NRP to make way for Effi Eitam
, and was made Minister without Portfolio
. From September 2002 until February 2003 he served as Minister of Tourism
. In March 2003 he was appointed Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Office. However, in June 2004 he and Eitam resigned in protest against the disengagement plan
. He and Eitam subsequently left the NRP and founded a new religious-Zionist party, Ahi, which joined the National Union
alliance.
In December 2008 Levy announced that he was retiring from politics, stating that the decision was made due to the new Jewish Home party not holding traditional primary elections, but instead relying on an internet-based vote.
Levy is married with five children and lives in Kfar Maimon
.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i rabbi and politician who served as a member of the Knesset
Knesset
The Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.-Role in Israeli Government :The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset passes all laws, elects the President and Prime Minister , approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government...
for the National Religious Party
National Religious Party
The National Religious Party ) was a political party in Israel representing the religious Zionist movement. Formed in 1956, at the time of its dissolution in 2008, it was the second oldest surviving party in the country after Agudat Yisrael, and was part of every government coalition until 1992...
(NRP) and the Ahi faction of the National Union
National Union (Israel)
The National Union is an alliance of nationalist political parties in Israel. In the 2009 elections the National Union consisted of four parties: Moledet, Hatikva, Eretz Yisrael Shelanu, and Tkuma.-Background:...
between 1988 and 2009. Between 1998 and 2002 he was NRP leader, and also held several ministerial portfolios.
Biography
Levy was born in CasablancaCasablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
in Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
in 1947, the son of Daniel-Yitzhak Levy
Daniel-Yitzhak Levy
Daniel-Yitzhak Levy was an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for the National Religious Party between 1965 and 1974.-Biography:...
, who later served as a member of the Knesset for the National Religious Party. The family immigrated
Aliyah
Aliyah is the immigration of Jews to the Land of Israel . It is a basic tenet of Zionist ideology. The opposite action, emigration from Israel, is referred to as yerida . The return to the Holy Land has been a Jewish aspiration since the Babylonian exile...
to Israel in 1957. He studied at Yeshivat Kerem B'Yavneh
Yeshivat Kerem B'Yavneh
Yeshivat Kerem B'Yavneh is a major yeshiva in Israel near the city of Ashdod and adjacent to Kvutzat Yavne.-History & Ideology:Founded in 1953, Kerem BeYavneh was the first Yeshivat Hesder. The first Rosh Yeshiva of Kerem B'Yavneh was the renowned scholar Rabbi Chaim Yaakov Goldvicht...
and Yeshivat Hakotel
Yeshivat Hakotel
Yeshivat Hakotel is a modern-Orthodox religious Zionist hesder yeshiva situated in the Old City of Jerusalem. It was built in 1857. The yeshiva overlooks the Kotel ; hence its name. The Yeshiva is famous among tourists and tour guides for its entrance to the prayer plaza at the Kotel on Sabbath...
, where he received rabbinical ordination. He served as an officer in the IDF
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
, achieving the rank of major. He was a member of the Bnei Akiva
Bnei Akiva
Bnei Akiva is the largest religious Zionist youth movement in the world, with over 125,000 members in 37 countries. It was established in Mandate Palestine in 1929.-History:...
Executive and World Secretariat, and Secretary-General of the National Religious Movement from 1986 to 1995. He was the Rabbi of the Bnei Akiva Talmudic College in Kfar Maimon
Kfar Maimon
Kfar Maimon is a religious moshav in southern Israel. Located near Netivot and covering 5,000 dunams, it falls under the jurisdiction of Sdot Negev Regional Council...
and was among the initiators of the establishment of the Jewish quarter in Jerusalem, and one of the founders of the Israeli settlement
Israeli settlement
An Israeli settlement is a Jewish civilian community built on land that was captured by Israel from Jordan, Egypt, and Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and is considered occupied territory by the international community. Such settlements currently exist in the West Bank...
of Elon Moreh
Elon Moreh
Elon Moreh is an Israeli settlement located in the Samarian hills of the West Bank northeast of Nablus on the slopes of the Mount Kabir ridge....
in the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
.
He was elected to the Knesset in 1988 on the National Religious Party list. He was a member of the House Committee from 1988 to 1996 and the Labor and Social Welfare Committee from 1988 to 1992. He was also chairman the Ethics Committee and the children welfare lobby, as well as the Israel-Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
Parliamentary Friendship League. Since 1988 he has been a member of the Committee on Constitution, Law and Justice.
In June 1996 he was appointed Minister of Transportation by Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Israel
The Prime Minister of Israel is the head of the Israeli government and the most powerful political figure in Israel . The prime minister is the country's chief executive. The official residence of the prime minister, Beit Rosh Hamemshala is in Jerusalem...
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister of Israel. He serves also as the Chairman of the Likud Party, as a Knesset member, as the Health Minister of Israel, as the Pensioner Affairs Minister of Israel and as the Economic Strategy Minister of Israel.Netanyahu is the first and, to...
. In February 1998, after the death of Zevulun Hammer
Zevulun Hammer
Zevulun Hammer was an Israeli politician, minister and Deputy Prime Minister.-Biography:Hammer was born in Haifa during the British Mandate of Palestine. He was an active member of the Bnei Akiva youth movement , and served in the Israeli Armored Corps in a Nahal programme...
, he became the leader of the NRP and served as Minister of Education until July 1999. He also served as Minister of Religious Affairs, a position he held in rotation.
In July 1999 he was appointed Minister of Housing and Construction
Housing and Construction Minister of Israel
The Ministry of Housing and Construction is a portfolio in the Israeli cabinet. The ministry was created in 1961, and until 1977 it was known as the Ministry of Housing. Construction was also previously part of the Labour and Construction ministry during the provisional government between 1948 and...
. Following his appointment, he resigned from the Knesset in order to allow the next person on the NRP list, Nahum Langental
Nahum Langental
Nahum Langental is a former Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for the National Religious Party between 1999 and 2003.-Biography:...
, to enter the Knesset. In July 2000, following the Camp David Summit, he resigned from the government.
On November 2, 2000 his 28-year-old daughter, Ayelet Hashahar Levy, was killed by Palestinian car bomb in Jerusalem.
In April 2002, during Operation Defensive Shield
Operation Defensive Shield
Operation Defensive Shield was a large-scale military operation conducted by the Israel Defense Forces in 2002, during the course of the Second Intifada. It was the largest military operation in the West Bank since the 1967 Six-Day War. The operation was an attempt by the Israeli army to stop the...
, he resigned as leader of the NRP to make way for Effi Eitam
Effi Eitam
Efraim "Effi" Eitam is an Israeli politician. A former leader of the National Religious Party, he later led a breakaway faction, Ahi, which merged into Likud in 2009. He served as a member of the Knesset between 2003 and 2009.-Biography:...
, and was made Minister without Portfolio
Minister without Portfolio
A minister without portfolio is either a government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister that does not head a particular ministry...
. From September 2002 until February 2003 he served as Minister of Tourism
Tourism Minister of Israel
The Tourism Minister of Israel is the political head of the Israeli Ministry of Tourism and a relatively minor position in the Israeli cabinet. The position is currently held by Stas Misezhnikov of Yisrael Beiteinu....
. In March 2003 he was appointed Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Office. However, in June 2004 he and Eitam resigned in protest against the disengagement plan
Israel's unilateral disengagement plan
Israel's unilateral disengagement plan , also known as the "Disengagement plan", "Gaza expulsion plan", and "Hitnatkut", was a proposal by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, adopted by the government on June 6, 2004 and enacted in August 2005, to evict all Israelis from the Gaza Strip and from...
. He and Eitam subsequently left the NRP and founded a new religious-Zionist party, Ahi, which joined the National Union
National Union (Israel)
The National Union is an alliance of nationalist political parties in Israel. In the 2009 elections the National Union consisted of four parties: Moledet, Hatikva, Eretz Yisrael Shelanu, and Tkuma.-Background:...
alliance.
In December 2008 Levy announced that he was retiring from politics, stating that the decision was made due to the new Jewish Home party not holding traditional primary elections, but instead relying on an internet-based vote.
Levy is married with five children and lives in Kfar Maimon
Kfar Maimon
Kfar Maimon is a religious moshav in southern Israel. Located near Netivot and covering 5,000 dunams, it falls under the jurisdiction of Sdot Negev Regional Council...
.