Asaf Zamir

Asaf Zamir (Hebrew: אסף זמיר‎, born 31 August 1980) is an Israeli politician and a member of the Knesset for the Blue and White alliance. He was Minister of Tourism from May to October 2020. He was previously Deputy Mayor of Tel Aviv from 2008 until 2013 and Acting Mayor in charge of education from 2013 to 2018.

Asaf Zamir
Date of birth (1980-08-31) 31 August 1980
Place of birthGanei Yehuda, Israel
Knessets21, 22, 23
Faction represented in Knesset
2019–2020Blue and White
2020–Blue and White
Ministerial roles
2020-20Minister of Tourism

Biography

Zamir was born in Ganei Yehuda to Galia and Muki Zamir. His family lived in Sarasota, Florida in the United States for four years during his childhood.[1] After they returned to Israel, he attended the A.D. Gordon school and Tichon Ironi Daled, and was a member of HaNoar HaOved VeHaLomed and the Hebrew Scouts. During his national service in the Israel Defense Forces he served in the central control unit of the Israeli Air Force. After graduating from Tel Aviv University with a law degree, he worked for Naschitz Brandes Amir qualified as a lawyer.

In the 2008 municipal elections he was elected to Tel Aviv city council as part of the Rov HaIr (Majority of the City) party that he co-founded. Mayor Ron Huldai subsequently appointed Zamir as his deputy, making him the youngest-ever person to hold such a post in Israel.[2] He was re-elected in the 2013 elections, after which he became acting mayor with responsibility for education. In the 2018 elections Zamir challenged Huldai for the mayoralty, losing by a margin of 47–34%.

Prior to the April 2019 elections he joined the Israel Resilience Party. After the party joined the Blue and White alliance, he was given the nineteenth slot on the joint list,[3] and was subsequently elected to the Knesset as the alliance won 35 seats. He was re-elected in the September 2019 legislative election and March 2020 legislative election. In May 2020, he was appointed the Minister of Tourism in the thirty-fifth government of Israel led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.[4] He subsequently resigned from the Knesset under the Norwegian Law and was replaced by Einav Kabla. On 2 October 2020 he resigned from the government while criticizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.[5] He will not be included in Blue & White's electoral list for the 2021 Israeli legislative election, following his vote against a budget extension, which effectively caused the dissolution of the government.[6]

Zamir is married to the actress Maya Wertheimer, a granddaughter of Stef Wertheimer. His uncle Yitzhak Zamir was a judge in the Supreme Court.

References
  1. Lidman, Melanie (25 October 2018). "After 10 years in his shadow, Asaf Zamir wants to replace Tel Aviv Mayor Huldai". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  2. Zieve, Tamara (20 October 2018). "Is Asaf Zamir the new broom Tel Aviv needs to sweep clean?". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  3. Israei Central Elections Committee. "2019 Blue and White list" (in Hebrew). Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  4. Levinson, Chaim; Lis, Jonathan (17 May 2020). "After Year of Deadlock and Days of Delays, Knesset Swears in New Israeli Government". Haaretz. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  5. Hoffman, Gil (2 October 2020). "Blue and White minister Asaf Zamir quits government". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  6. Staff writer (27 December 2020). "Gantz ousts rebel Blue and White MKs Zamir, Haimovich from party". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
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