Politicsאברהם בורג

Abraham Burg

Avraham Burg is an Israeli politician and writer who served as Speaker of the Knesset from 1999 to 2003 and as chairman of the Jewish Agency.

born 1955Speaker of the KnessetChairman of the Jewish AgencyActing President of Israel in 2000The book Defeating Hitler

Born: 19 January 1955, Jerusalem
Occupation: politician, writer
Party: Israeli Labor Party
Education: Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Founded: The Spirit of Israel (1997)

Abraham Burg was born in 1955 in Jerusalem

Burg was born in Jerusalem in 1955 and grew up in the Rehavia neighborhood. His father, Yosef Burg, was a Knesset member and government minister for the National Religious Party. His mother, Rivka, was born in Hebron and survived the 1929 Hebron massacre.

He attended the Netiv Meir yeshiva high school in Jerusalem. He served in the paratroopers as a platoon commander. He then earned a degree in social sciences at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Burg was active in Peace Now and was injured in the 1983 grenade attack on its Jerusalem demonstration. He advised Prime Minister Shimon Peres from 1985 and entered the Knesset in 1988. In 1995 he became chairman of the Jewish Agency and the World Zionist Organization and left the Knesset.

He returned to the Knesset in 1999 and was elected Speaker, a post he held until 2003. In 2000 he served briefly as acting president after Ezer Weizman resigned. In 2001 he ran for the Labor Party leadership and lost to Binyamin Ben-Eliezer after a revote.

Burg left politics in 2004 for business and writing. His 2007 book Defeating Hitler drew public debate. In 2015 he announced his support for Hadash.

Abraham Burg's life in 9 milestones

1955
Born in Jerusalem.
1983
Injured in a grenade attack on a Peace Now demonstration.
1988
Elected to the Knesset.
1995
Became chairman of the Jewish Agency.
1999
Elected Speaker of the Knesset.
2000
Served as acting President of Israel.
2004
Resigned from the Knesset and political life.
2007
Published the book Defeating Hitler.
2015
Announced his support for Hadash.

Abraham Burg held 2 offices between 1988 and 2004

1955today

Knesset member 1988 to 1995, 1999 to 2004
Speaker of the Knesset 1999 to 2003

Abraham Burg served in the military

Burg served in the IDF paratroopers in the Nahal paratroop battalion. After infantry officer training he became a platoon commander with the rank of lieutenant.

Israeli Labor Party