Asher Ohana

Asher Ohana was born in 1945 in Morocco

Asher Ohana was born in Morocco in 1945 and immigrated to Israel in 1956. He attended a religious high school and finished his studies in 1962.

He did his military service in the IDF civil defense unit. He then qualified as an accountant and worked for the Beit Shemesh municipality as an accountant, treasurer and head of payroll and human resources. Later he worked as a private accountant, and in 1987 he became a project manager at a building company.

Ohana joined Shas in 1992 and was the party's treasurer from 1993 to 1996. He was a senior adviser to the Minister of Religious Affairs and then Director General of the ministry from 1997 to 1998. He also served as secretary general of the Ma'ayan HaChinuch HaTorani network and of Shas.

In 2001 he was appointed Minister of Religious Affairs in Ariel Sharon's unity government, though he was not a Knesset member. He held the post until a new government formed in 2003.

Afterward he owned an accounting firm and chaired the appointed committee of the religious councils in Acre and Shlomi. In 2015 he became chairman of the Netanya religious council. He is married with 6 children.