Omer Yankelevich

Omer Yankelevich (Hebrew: עוֹמֶר יַנְקֵלֵבִיץ׳‎, born 25 May 1978) is an Israeli attorney, educator, social activist, and politician. She currently serves as the Minister of Diaspora Affairs and a Member of the Knesset for the Blue and White party (as part of the Israel Resilience Party). She is a co-founder of the "Just Begun Foundation", which sponsors social initiatives to help integrate peripheral and marginalized populations in Israel, with an emphasis on the Haredi sector. In 2019, she joined the Israel Resilience Party, which is part of the Blue and White political alliance, and was placed #23 on the faction's list for the April 2019 Knesset election. The Blue and White alliance gained 35 seats in the election, resulting in Yankelevich becoming a Member of the Knesset. She was subsequently elected to the Knesset as part of the Blue and White alliance in the September 2019 and March 2020 elections. In the national unity government which comprised the thirty-fifth government of Israel, Yankelevich was named Minister of Diaspora Affairs, becoming the first-ever Haredi woman cabinet minister.

Omer Yankelevich
Ministerial roles
2020–Minister of Diaspora Affairs
Faction represented in the Knesset
2019–Blue and White
Personal details
Born (1978-05-25) 25 May 1978
Tel Aviv, Israel

Early life and education

Omer Galinsky was born on 25 May 1978[1] to a secular family in Tel Aviv. She was named for her birthdate on the Jewish calendar, which coincided that year with the Jewish holiday of Lag BaOmer.[2][3] She has one younger brother.[4] Her father, Yaakov (Yasha) Galinsky, a native of Lithuania,[5] was an actor in the Habima Theatre, and later became a baal teshuva.[2] Her mother was born in Latvia.[5] During her youth, her parents volunteered in the Jewish communities in the Soviet Union, and at age 16, she taught Hebrew and Judaism in Russia and Ukraine.[4]

She attended Bais Yaakov for her elementary schooling,[6] and went on to attend the Rabbi Wolf Teachers Seminary in Bnei Brak.[1][3] She received a teaching certificate at the Gateshead seminary for women and completed additional courses at the Shecheransky Seminary in Tel Aviv.[1][3] Later, she took English teaching courses at the University of Cambridge .[7] She graduated from Ono Academic College with a bachelor's of law (LL.B) with honors, and from Bar-Ilan University with a master's in law (LL.M) with distinction.[1]

She is also a licensed mediator and is a fellow of the Gesher Leadership Institute.

Career

She has practiced law since 2007.[3] After passing the Bar, she worked as a legal assistant to a judge in the Jerusalem District Court for 13 years.[2] She then became and Chief of Staff of the Ministry for Social Equity.[2] In her legal practice, she specializes in government relations and copyright.[2]

Yankelevich has taught at the Takhkemoni School in Rehovot and the Bat-Zion high school in Jerusalem.[6]

Yankelevich is a co-founder[2] of the "Just Begun Foundation" (Hebrew: קרן רק התחלנו‎), which sponsors social initiatives to help integrate peripheral and marginalized populations, with an emphasis on the Haredi sector.[3][8] Among the group's initiatives are the opening of an art gallery showcasing Haredi artists in a Tel Aviv flea market, and projects in theatre, film, media, and plastics and visual arts.[2] Yankelevich has defended the Haredi population against the Israel Women's Network and other liberal feminist groups that vilify it for its enactment of gender separation in institutes of higher learning and at public events.[3][9][10]

Political career

In 2019, Yankelevich was chosen by Benny Gantz to be a member of his Israel Resilience Party, which was part of the Blue and White political alliance for the April 2019 Israeli legislative election.[3] She was placed #23 on the faction's list.[11][12] Her appointment was seen as an attempt by Gantz to present the party's political orientation as centrist, rather than left, although her presence was not expected to pull in Haredi votes.[3]

With the Blue and White alliance gaining 35 seats in the election,[13] Yankelevich became a Member of the Knesset.[14]

In the national unity government of the thirty-fifth government of Israel, Gantz appointed Yankelevich to serve as Minister of Diaspora Affairs,[7] thus becoming the first-ever Haredi woman cabinet minister.[5]

Personal life

Yankelevich is a Haredi Jew.[3] She and her husband, Yaron, have five children, and reside in Beit Shemesh.[2][3] She speaks Hebrew, English, Russian and basic Yiddish.[6]

References
  1. "Omer Yankelevich, Blue and White". The Knesset. 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  2. Suissa Ben-Ami, Etti (February 15, 2019). "על אמנות, אמונה ופוליטיקה" [On Art, Faith, and Politics] (in Hebrew). eti-ka.co.il. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  3. "New Israeli 'Resilience Party' Places Chareidi Woman in a Realistic Slot In Its Lineup". Yeshiva World News. February 15, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  4. Bentov, Smadar (August 22, 2018). "נעים להכיר // עומר ינקלביץ" [Nice to Meet: Omer Yankelevich] (in Hebrew). actualic.co.il. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  5. Levy, Michal (May 14, 2020). "Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz appoints first ever female haredi minister". Israel National News. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  6. "עו"ד עומר ינקלביץ" [Attorney Omer Yankelevich] (in Hebrew). Idealist. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  7. Hoffman, Gil (May 14, 2020). "Gantz appoints haredi woman as diaspora affairs minister". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  8. "Israel Resilience announces official candidates for national elections". The Jerusalem Post. February 14, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  9. Sommer, Allison Kaplan (March 3, 2019). "From a 'Love Hormone' Expert to a Martial Arts Champ: Meet the New Faces in the 2019 Election Race". Haaretz. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  10. Elbaz, Yaarit (February 18, 2019). "תנו לעומר ינקלביץ' את הצ'אנס" [Give Omer Yankelevich the Chance]. Kikar HaShabbat (in Hebrew). Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  11. "כחול לבן בראשות בני גנץ ויאיר לפיד" [Blue and White under the leadership of Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid] (in Hebrew). Israel Central Elections Committee. 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  12. "Lapid-Gantz-Ya'alon list: 'Blue and White'". Israel National News. February 21, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  13. "תוצאות האמת של הבחירות לכנסת ה-21" [Actual Results of the Elections for the 21st Knesset] (in Hebrew). Israel Central Elections Committee. April 9, 2019. Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  14. Liba, Dror (April 10, 2019). "21st Knesset: More ultra-Orthodox, fewer women". Ynetnews. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
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