Politicsאברהם יוסף שפירא

Abraham Joseph Shapira

Avraham Yosef Shapira was an Israeli businessman who owned Carmel Carpets and a Knesset member for Agudat Yisrael.

1921 to 2000Owning Carmel CarpetsAgudat Yisrael Knesset memberChairing the Knesset Finance Committee

Born: 2 March 1921, Romania
Died: 26 June 2000, Israel
Occupation: politician, businessperson
Party: Union of Israel

Abraham Joseph Shapira was born in 1921 in Romania

Shapira was born in Romania in 1921. He studied at a yeshiva in Timișoara and later at the Kokhav MeYa'akov yeshiva in Trzebinia, where he was certified as a teacher. He survived the Holocaust and was a Sadigura Hasid close to the Gur Hasidic court.

In 1949 he immigrated to Israel and worked with his father in Tel Aviv. In 1959 he bought a carpet factory in Or Akiva, known as Carmel Carpets, with government loans. He later opened more factories in Netivot and Nazareth Illit.

In 1980 he won the Industry Prize for textiles. In 1991 the group was in serious financial trouble, and in 1993 a receiver was appointed. He repaid about 130 million shekels, and in 1995 all claims against him were dropped.

He chaired the Tel Aviv branch of Agudat Yisrael and entered the Knesset in 1981. He led the governing coalition and later chaired the Finance Committee. He lost his seat in 1988, returned in 1992 and left again in 1996. He died in 2000.