Meir Porush
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| Meir Porush | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Date of birth | 11 June 1955 |
| Knesset(s) | 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th (current) |
| Party | Agudat Israel (part of United Torah Judaism) |
Rabbi Meir Porush (Hebrew: מאיר פרוש, born 11 June 1955) is an Israeli politician and member of the Knesset for the Haredi party Agudat Israel, which together with Degel HaTorah forms the United Torah Judaism list. His father Rabbi Menachem Porush held a similar position and was one of the longest serving Knesset members. The Porush family is one of Jerusalem's most prominent, and is descended from a lineage that can trace itself back by ten generations in Jerusalem.
Born in Jerusalem, Meir Porush was educated in a Talmudic college. Before entering the Knesset, he served as a member of Jerusalem City Council, and was at one stage deputy mayor of Jerusalem.
He was first elected to the Knesset in the 1996 elections as an Agudat Israel candidate on the United Torah Judaism list, and was appointed Deputy Minister of Housing in Binyamin Netanyahu's government.
He retained his seat in the 1999 elections and chaired the Knesset inquiry into fianancial problems of local councils. After Ariel Sharon won a special election for Prime Minister in 2001 he was appointed Deputy Minister of Housing and Construction.
He retained his seat in both the 2003 and 2006 elections, but has not served in the cabinet since 2003. In 2005 he caused controversy by saying that then PM Ariel Sharon reminded him of Benito Mussolini.[1] He has also called for Israel to give up its nuclear weapons.[2]
Porush lives in Jerusalem with his wife and twelve children.
[edit] References
- ^ MK Meir Porush: Sharon reminds me of Italian dictator Mussolini Haaretz, 30 November 2005
- ^ Would Israel ever give up the bomb? Haaretz
