Miki Zohar
Makhlouf "Miki" Zohar (Hebrew: מַכְלוּף "מִיקִי" זוֹהַר, born 28 March 1980) is an Israeli lawyer and politician. He is currently a member of the Knesset for Likud.
| Miki Zohar | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Date of birth | 28 March 1980 |
| Place of birth | Kiryat Gat, Israel |
| Knessets | 20, 21, 22, 23 |
| Faction represented in Knesset | |
| 2015– | Likud |
Biography
Makhlouf Zohar was born and raised in Kiryat Gat. His father Eli was an immigrant from Morocco and his mother Dina was from Tunisia. Zohar served in the Israel Defense Forces and reached the rank of Sergeant. He then studied law, gaining an LLB from the College of Law and Business and an MA from Bar-Ilan University, and worked in real estate. He became chairman of Maccabi Kiryat Gat basketball club in 2004, serving until 2014.
Zohar is married to Yamit and has four children.
Political career
In 2005, Zohar was elected to Kiryat Gat City Council. In 2013, he was elected head of Kiryat Gat's Likud list in 2013, and became Deputy Mayor. Prior to the 2015 Knesset elections he was placed twenty-second on the Likud list,[1] a slot reserved for a candidate from the Negev area.[2] He was elected to the Knesset as Likud won 30 seats.[3] He was re-elected in April 2019 after being placed twenty-sixth on the party's list.
Views and opinions
Zohar opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state, stating that every member of Likud is against it.[4] He also supports the annexation of the West Bank and cancellation of the Oslo Accords.[5]
Zohar is an advocate for observing Shabbat. He filed a bill that would outlaw forcing business owners to work on Saturdays. In addition, business owners would be able to file a claim for damages against members who violate Shabbat that harm them financially.[6] Zohar stated in a radio interview for an ultra-Orthodox Jewish station that "Anyone who doesn't believe in God is delusional".[7]
Zohar supported the creation of a new Israeli national holiday, Yom HaAliyah (Hebrew: יום העלייה, Aliyah Day) to be celebrated annually on the tenth of the Hebrew month of Nisan (Hebrew: י’ ניסן).[8] On 21 June 2016, the Knesset voted in favor of adding Yom HaAliyah to the national calendar.[9] The Yom HaAliyah bill was co-sponsored by Knesset members from different parties in a rare instance of cooperation across the political spectrum.[10] The day chosen for Yom HaAliyah is, according to the biblical narrative, the day Joshua and the Israelites crossed the Jordan River at Gilgal into the Promised Land. It was thus the first documented "mass Aliyah".[11]
In June 2018, he stated in a radio debate that "the entire Jewish race is the highest human capital, the smartest, the most comprehending".[12][13]
References
- Likud list Central Elections Committee
- Israel election updates / Likud primary results are in: Erdan, Edelstein get top spots Haaretz, 1 January 2015
- Final Unofficial* results of the Elections for the Twentieth Knesset Central Elections Committee
- Meet the New MK: Miki Zohar The Jerusalem Post
- Likud MK: Cancel the Oslo Accords, Build Judea-Samaria Israel National News, 5 September 2015
- Bill: Ban Businesses, Franchises from Demanding Work on Shabbat Israel National News, 26 August 2015
- ח"כ זהר: "מי שלא מאמין בקב"ה הוא אדם הזוי" Srugim, 27 October 2015
- Israel approves holiday to celebrate contribution of immigrants Jewish News, 22 June 2014
- New National Holiday in Israel JWire, 22 June 2016
- Israel approves holiday to celebrate contribution of immigrants Haaretz, 24 June 2016
- Yehoshua - Joshua - Chapter 4 Chabad
- Winer, Stuart (13 June 2018). "Israeli lawmaker proclaims supremacy of 'Jewish race'". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- Maza, Christine (14 June 2018). "Jews are smartest race in the world and superior humans, israeli lawmaker claims". Newsweek. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
External links
- Miki Zohar on the Knesset website