Ministry of Religious Services
Encyclopedia
The Ministry of Religious Services ( is a current government ministry of Israel. It is headed by the Religious Services Minister of Israel. It was previously known as the Ministry of Religious Affairs .
. The current minister is Ya'akov Margi
of Shas
.
The post was included in the provisional government
, and was initially known as the Minister of Religions and War Victims. Upon the formation of the second government
on 8 October 1951 it became the Minister of Religions. A second re-name occurred on 5 August 1981 when it became the Minister of Religious Affairs. The post was scrapped on 1 January 2004, but resurrected on 14 January 2008.
The office holders have been largely religious, though some secularists have held the post; Haim Yosef Zadok
being the first to do so when appointed in 1974. Zerach Warhaftig
is the longest serving minister to date, holding the post for over 12 years between 1961 and 1974. In Binyamin Netanyahu's government
the portfolio changed hands six times, with four different people holding the post (Netanyahu three times and Eli Suissa
twice).
There has been a Deputy Minister on several occasions.
1 Died in office.
Religious Services Minister
The Religious Services Minister of Israel is the political head of the Ministry of Religious Services and a relatively minor position in the Israeli cabinetCabinet of Israel
The Cabinet of Israel is a formal body composed of government officials called ministers, chosen and led by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister must appoint members based on the distribution of votes to political parties during legislative elections, and its composition must be approved by a...
. The current minister is Ya'akov Margi
Ya'akov Margi
Ya'akov Margi is an Israeli politician who currently serves as a member of the Knesset for Shas and as the country's Minister of Religious Services.-Biography:Margi was born in Morocco and brought to Israel during Yakhin Operation in 1962....
of Shas
Shas
Shas is an ultra-orthodox religious political party in Israel, primarily representing Sephardic and Mizrahi Haredi Judaism.Shas was founded in 1984 by dissident members of the Ashkenazi dominated Agudat Israel, to represent the interests of religiously observant Sephardic and Mizrahi ...
.
The post was included in the provisional government
Provisional government of Israel
The provisional government of Israel was the temporary cabinet which governed Israel from shortly before independence until the formation of the first government in March 1949 following the first Knesset elections in January that year....
, and was initially known as the Minister of Religions and War Victims. Upon the formation of the second government
Second government of Israel
The second government of Israel was formed during the first Knesset. David Ben-Gurion made an attempt to form a minority government consisting of Mapai and Sephardim and Oriental Communities on 17 October, but it was not approved by the Knesset...
on 8 October 1951 it became the Minister of Religions. A second re-name occurred on 5 August 1981 when it became the Minister of Religious Affairs. The post was scrapped on 1 January 2004, but resurrected on 14 January 2008.
The office holders have been largely religious, though some secularists have held the post; Haim Yosef Zadok
Haim Yosef Zadok
-Early life:Zadok was born in 1913 in Rava-Ruska in Eastern Galicia in Austria-Hungary . He studied philosophy and Jewish studies at the University of Warsaw. He was a member of the Gordonia youth movement in Poland and in the "Poale Zion Federation" Party.In 1935 he immigrated to the British...
being the first to do so when appointed in 1974. Zerach Warhaftig
Zerach Warhaftig
Rabbi Dr. Zerach Warhaftig was an Israeli lawyer and politician and a signatory of Israel's Declaration of Independence.-Background:Warhaftig was born in Volkovysk in the Russian Empire in 1906. His parents were Yerucham Warhaftig and Rivka Fainstein...
is the longest serving minister to date, holding the post for over 12 years between 1961 and 1974. In Binyamin Netanyahu's government
Twenty-seventh government of Israel
The twenty-seventh government of Israel was formed by Binyamin Netanyahu of Likud on 18 June 1996. Although his Likud-Gesher-Tzomet alliance won fewer seats that the Labor Party, Netanyahu formed the government after winning the country's first ever direct election for Prime Minister, narrowly...
the portfolio changed hands six times, with four different people holding the post (Netanyahu three times and Eli Suissa
Eli Suissa
Rabbi Eliyahu "Eli" Suissa is a former Israeli politician who held several ministerial portfolios during the 1990s and early 2000s.-Biography:Born in Morocco in 1956, Suissa's family made aliyah to Israel later in the same year...
twice).
There has been a Deputy Minister on several occasions.
List of Religious Services ministers
| Minister | Party | Government(s) | Dates in Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yehuda Leib Maimon Yehuda Leib Maimon Yehuda Leib Maimon was an Israeli rabbi, politician and leader of the religious Zionism movement, originating from Bessarabia.-Biography:Born in 1875 in Mărculeşti, Bessarabia , Maimon studied in a number of yeshivot and received rabbinic ordination from Rabbi Yechiel Michel Epstein, the author of... |
Mizrachi Mizrachi (political party) Mizrachi was a political party in Israel and is one of the ancestors of the modern-day National Religious Party.-History:The Mizrachi movement was founded in 1902 in Vilnius as a religious Zionist organisation. It also had a trade union, Hapoel HaMizrachi, started in 1921... United Religious Front United Religious Front The United Religious Front was a political alliance of the four major religious parties in Israel, as well as the Union of Religious Independents, formed to fight the 1949 elections.-History:... |
P, 1, 2 | May 14, 1948 – October 8, 1951 |
| Haim-Moshe Shapira Haim-Moshe Shapira Haim-Moshe Shapira was a key Israeli politician in the early days of the state's existence. A signatory of Israel's declaration of independence, he served continuously as a minister from the country's foundation in 1948 until his death in 1970 apart from a brief spell in the late... |
Hapoel HaMizrachi Hapoel HaMizrachi Hapoel HaMizrachi |Mizrachi]] Workers) was a political party and settlement movement in Israel and is one of the predecessors of the National Religious Party.-History:... 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... |
3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 | October 8, 1951 – July 1, 1958 |
| Ya'akov Moshe Toledano Ya'akov Moshe Toledano Rabbi Ya'akov Moshe Toledano was an Israeli rabbi who served as Minister of Religions for two brief periods between 1958 and 1960. He also served as chief rabbi of Cairo, Alexandria and Tel Aviv.... |
Not an MK | 8, 9 | December 3, 1958 – October 15, 1960 1 |
| Zerach Warhaftig Zerach Warhaftig Rabbi Dr. Zerach Warhaftig was an Israeli lawyer and politician and a signatory of Israel's Declaration of Independence.-Background:Warhaftig was born in Volkovysk in the Russian Empire in 1906. His parents were Yerucham Warhaftig and Rivka Fainstein... |
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... |
10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 | November 2, 1961 – March 10, 1974 |
| Yitzhak Rafael Yitzhak Rafael Yitzhak Rafael was an Israeli politician who served as Minister of Religions in the mid-1970s.-Biography:Rafael was born in Sabov in Galicia in 1914, and attended high school in Poland... |
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... |
16 | March 10, 1974 – June 3, 1974 |
| Haim Yosef Zadok Haim Yosef Zadok -Early life:Zadok was born in 1913 in Rava-Ruska in Eastern Galicia in Austria-Hungary . He studied philosophy and Jewish studies at the University of Warsaw. He was a member of the Gordonia youth movement in Poland and in the "Poale Zion Federation" Party.In 1935 he immigrated to the British... |
Alignment Alignment (political party) The Alignment was an alliance of the major left-wing parties in Israel between the 1960s and 1990s. It was established in 1965 as an alliance of Mapai and Ahdut HaAvoda but was dissolved three years later when the two parties and Rafi formally merged into the Israeli Labor Party... |
17 | June 3, 1974 – October 29, 1974 |
| Yitzhak Rafael Yitzhak Rafael Yitzhak Rafael was an Israeli politician who served as Minister of Religions in the mid-1970s.-Biography:Rafael was born in Sabov in Galicia in 1914, and attended high school in Poland... |
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... |
17 | October 30, 1974 – December 22, 1976 |
| Haim Yosef Zadok Haim Yosef Zadok -Early life:Zadok was born in 1913 in Rava-Ruska in Eastern Galicia in Austria-Hungary . He studied philosophy and Jewish studies at the University of Warsaw. He was a member of the Gordonia youth movement in Poland and in the "Poale Zion Federation" Party.In 1935 he immigrated to the British... |
Alignment Alignment (political party) The Alignment was an alliance of the major left-wing parties in Israel between the 1960s and 1990s. It was established in 1965 as an alliance of Mapai and Ahdut HaAvoda but was dissolved three years later when the two parties and Rafi formally merged into the Israeli Labor Party... |
17 | January 16, 1977 – June 20, 1977 |
| Aharon Abuhatzira Aharon Abuhatzira Aharon Abuhatzira is a former Israeli politician. A former mayor of Ramla, he held several ministerial portfolios in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but resigned from the cabinet after being convicted of larceny, breach of trust and fraud.-Biography:... |
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... |
18 | June 20, 1977 – August 5, 1981 |
| Yosef Burg Yosef Burg Yosef Shlomo Burg was an Israeli politician. In 1949, he was elected to the first Knesset, and served in many ministerial positions for the next 40 years. He was one of the founders of the National Religious Party.-Biography:... |
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... |
19, 20 | August 5, 1981 – September 13, 1984 |
| Shimon Peres Shimon Peres GCMG is the ninth President of the State of Israel. Peres served twice as the eighth Prime Minister of Israel and once as Interim Prime Minister, and has been a member of 12 cabinets in a political career spanning over 66 years... |
Alignment Alignment (political party) The Alignment was an alliance of the major left-wing parties in Israel between the 1960s and 1990s. It was established in 1965 as an alliance of Mapai and Ahdut HaAvoda but was dissolved three years later when the two parties and Rafi formally merged into the Israeli Labor Party... |
21 | September 13, 1984 – December 23, 1984 |
| Yosef Burg Yosef Burg Yosef Shlomo Burg was an Israeli politician. In 1949, he was elected to the first Knesset, and served in many ministerial positions for the next 40 years. He was one of the founders of the National Religious Party.-Biography:... |
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... |
21 | September 13, 1984 – October 5, 1986 |
| 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... |
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... |
21, 22, 23 | October 7, 1986 – June 11, 1990 |
| Avner Shaki Avner Shaki Avner-Hai Shaki was an Israeli politician who served as a government minister in the late 1980s and early 1990s.-Biography:Born in Safed during the Mandate era, Shaki studied law, gaining a PhD from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem... |
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... |
24 | June 11, 1990 – July 13, 1992 |
| Yitzhak Rabin Yitzhak Rabin ' was an Israeli politician, statesman and general. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Israel, serving two terms in office, 1974–77 and 1992 until his assassination in 1995.... |
Labor Party | 25 | July 13, 1992 – February 27, 1995 |
| Shimon Sheetrit Shimon Sheetrit Prof. Shimon Shetreet is a former Israeli politician who held several ministerial portfolios between 1992 and 1996.-Biography:Born in Erfoud in Morocco, Shetreet's family made aliyah to Israel in 1949. He studied law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, gaining an LLB and LLM... |
Labor Party | 25, 26 | February 27, 1995 – June 18, 1996 |
| Binyamin Netanyahu | Likud Likud Likud is the major center-right political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin in an alliance with several right-wing and liberal parties. Likud's victory in the 1977 elections was a major turning point in the country's political history, marking the first time the left had... |
27 | June 18, 1996 – August 7, 1996 |
| Eli Suissa Eli Suissa Rabbi Eliyahu "Eli" Suissa is a former Israeli politician who held several ministerial portfolios during the 1990s and early 2000s.-Biography:Born in Morocco in 1956, Suissa's family made aliyah to Israel later in the same year... |
Shas Shas Shas is an ultra-orthodox religious political party in Israel, primarily representing Sephardic and Mizrahi Haredi Judaism.Shas was founded in 1984 by dissident members of the Ashkenazi dominated Agudat Israel, to represent the interests of religiously observant Sephardic and Mizrahi ... |
27 | August 7, 1996 – August 12, 1997 |
| Binyamin Netanyahu | Likud Likud Likud is the major center-right political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin in an alliance with several right-wing and liberal parties. Likud's victory in the 1977 elections was a major turning point in the country's political history, marking the first time the left had... |
27 | August 12, 1997 – August 22, 1997 |
| 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... |
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... |
27 | August 22, 1997 – January 20, 1998 1 |
| Binyamin Netanyahu | Likud Likud Likud is the major center-right political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin in an alliance with several right-wing and liberal parties. Likud's victory in the 1977 elections was a major turning point in the country's political history, marking the first time the left had... |
27 | January 20, 1998 – February 25, 1998 |
| Yitzhak Levy Yitzhak Levy Rabbi Yitzhak Levy is an Israeli rabbi and politician who served as a member of the Knesset for the National Religious Party and the Ahi faction of the National Union between 1988 and 2009... |
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... |
27 | February 25, 1998 – September 13, 1998 |
| Eli Suissa Eli Suissa Rabbi Eliyahu "Eli" Suissa is a former Israeli politician who held several ministerial portfolios during the 1990s and early 2000s.-Biography:Born in Morocco in 1956, Suissa's family made aliyah to Israel later in the same year... |
Shas Shas Shas is an ultra-orthodox religious political party in Israel, primarily representing Sephardic and Mizrahi Haredi Judaism.Shas was founded in 1984 by dissident members of the Ashkenazi dominated Agudat Israel, to represent the interests of religiously observant Sephardic and Mizrahi ... |
27 | September 13, 1998 – July 6, 1999 |
| Yitzhak Cohen Yitzhak Cohen Rabbi Yitzhak Cohen is an Israeli politician who has served as a member of the Knesset for Shas since 1996, and is the current Deputy Minister of Finance.-Biography:Born in Ashkelon, Cohen served on the city's council and was its former deputy mayor.... |
Shas Shas Shas is an ultra-orthodox religious political party in Israel, primarily representing Sephardic and Mizrahi Haredi Judaism.Shas was founded in 1984 by dissident members of the Ashkenazi dominated Agudat Israel, to represent the interests of religiously observant Sephardic and Mizrahi ... |
28 | July 6, 1999 – July 11, 2000 |
| Yossi Beilin Yossi Beilin Dr. Yosef "Yossi" Beilin is a left-wing Israeli politician and a former Knesset member, Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister and Justice Minister, representing both the Labor Party and Meretz-Yachad, of which he served as chairman between 2003 and 2006. He is best known for his involvement with the... |
One Israel One Israel One Israel was an alliance of the Labor Party, Meimad and Gesher created to run for the 1999 Knesset elections.-Background:One Israel was formed by Labor leader Ehud Barak in the run-up to the 1999 elections with the aim of making Labor appear more centrist and to reduce its secularist and elitist... |
28 | October 11, 2000 – March 7, 2001 |
| Asher Ohana Asher Ohana Asher Ohana is an Israeli civil servant who served as Minister of Religious Affairs between 2001 and 2003.Born in Morocco in 1945, Ohana joined Shas in 1992, and served on Beit Shemesh's local council... |
Not an MK | 29 | March 7, 2001 – February 28, 2003 |
| Ariel Sharon Ariel Sharon Ariel Sharon is an Israeli statesman and retired general, who served as Israel’s 11th Prime Minister. He has been in a permanent vegetative state since suffering a stroke on 4 January 2006.... |
Likud Likud Likud is the major center-right political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin in an alliance with several right-wing and liberal parties. Likud's victory in the 1977 elections was a major turning point in the country's political history, marking the first time the left had... |
30 | February 28, 2003 – December 31, 2003 |
| Yitzhak Cohen Yitzhak Cohen Rabbi Yitzhak Cohen is an Israeli politician who has served as a member of the Knesset for Shas since 1996, and is the current Deputy Minister of Finance.-Biography:Born in Ashkelon, Cohen served on the city's council and was its former deputy mayor.... |
Shas Shas Shas is an ultra-orthodox religious political party in Israel, primarily representing Sephardic and Mizrahi Haredi Judaism.Shas was founded in 1984 by dissident members of the Ashkenazi dominated Agudat Israel, to represent the interests of religiously observant Sephardic and Mizrahi ... |
31 | January 14, 2008 – March 31, 2009 |
| Ya'akov Margi Ya'akov Margi Ya'akov Margi is an Israeli politician who currently serves as a member of the Knesset for Shas and as the country's Minister of Religious Services.-Biography:Margi was born in Morocco and brought to Israel during Yakhin Operation in 1962.... |
Shas Shas Shas is an ultra-orthodox religious political party in Israel, primarily representing Sephardic and Mizrahi Haredi Judaism.Shas was founded in 1984 by dissident members of the Ashkenazi dominated Agudat Israel, to represent the interests of religiously observant Sephardic and Mizrahi ... |
32 | March 31, 2009 – |
1 Died in office.
Deputy Ministers
| Minister | Party | Government(s) | Dates in Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zerach Warhaftig Zerach Warhaftig Rabbi Dr. Zerach Warhaftig was an Israeli lawyer and politician and a signatory of Israel's Declaration of Independence.-Background:Warhaftig was born in Volkovysk in the Russian Empire in 1906. His parents were Yerucham Warhaftig and Rivka Fainstein... |
Hapoel HaMizrachi Hapoel HaMizrachi Hapoel HaMizrachi |Mizrachi]] Workers) was a political party and settlement movement in Israel and is one of the predecessors of the National Religious Party.-History:... 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... |
4, 7, 8 |
January 5, 1953 – January 26, 1954 January 9, 1956 – July 1, 1958 |
| Binyamin Shahor Binyamin Shahor Binyamin Shahor was an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for the National Religious Party between 1959 and 1974.-Biography:... |
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... |
13, 14 | February 1, 1966 – November 17, 1969 |
| Haim Drukman Haim Drukman Haim Meir Drukman , born 15 November 1932) is an Israeli Orthodox Rabbi and former politician. Today he serves as Rosh Yeshiva of Ohr Etzion Yeshiva, the head of the Bnei Akiva Youth Movement and Center for Bnei Akiva Yeshivot.-Early life:... |
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... |
19 | August 11, 1981 – March 2, 1982 |
| Moshe Gafni Moshe Gafni Moshe Gafni is an Israeli politician and Member of the Knesset for the ultra-orthodox party Degel HaTorah.-Biography:Born in Bnei Brak, Gafni was educated in a yeshiva and later worked as head of a Kollel, avoiding national service in the IDF... |
Degel HaTorah Degel HaTorah Degel HaTorah is an Ashkenazi Haredi political party in Israel. For much of its existence it has been allied to Agudat Yisrael under the name United Torah Judaism.-Ideology:... |
24 | July 23, 1990 – July 13, 1992 |
| Rafael Pinhasi Rafael Pinhasi Rafael Pinhasi is a former Israeli who served as Minister of Communications between 1990 and 1992.Born in Kabul in Afghanistan, Pinhasi's family made aliyah in 1950. He was amongst the founders of Shas, and served as deputy mayor of Bnei Brak.... |
Shas Shas Shas is an ultra-orthodox religious political party in Israel, primarily representing Sephardic and Mizrahi Haredi Judaism.Shas was founded in 1984 by dissident members of the Ashkenazi dominated Agudat Israel, to represent the interests of religiously observant Sephardic and Mizrahi ... |
25 | December 31, 1992 – September 14, 1993 |
| Aryeh Gamliel | Shas Shas Shas is an ultra-orthodox religious political party in Israel, primarily representing Sephardic and Mizrahi Haredi Judaism.Shas was founded in 1984 by dissident members of the Ashkenazi dominated Agudat Israel, to represent the interests of religiously observant Sephardic and Mizrahi ... |
27 | August 13, 1996 – August 22, 1997 August 24, 1997 – January 20, 1998 February 25, 1998 – July 6, 1999 |
| Yigal Bibi Yigal Bibi Yigal Bibi is a former Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for the National Religious Party between 1988 and 2003.-Biography:... |
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... |
27 27 28 |
August 13, 1996 – January 20, 1998 February 25, 1998 – July 6, 1999 August 5, 1999 – July 12, 2000 |
External links
- Ministry of Religious Services
- Ministry of Religious Affairs (Archive)
- Ministry of Religious Affairs (Archive)