Politicsאליהו גבאי

Eliyahu Gabai

Eliyahu Gabai is an Israeli educator and former politician who served in the Knesset for the National Religious Party.

born 1943Founding the Hibba movementNational Religious Party Knesset memberDeputy mayor of Jerusalem

Born: 5 January 1943, Baghdad
Occupation: politician, educator, writer
Party: National Religious Party
Education: Bar-Ilan University

Eliyahu Gabai was born in 1943 in Baghdad

Gabai was born in Baghdad, Iraq, on 5 January 1943. In 1951 he moved to Israel with his family, and they settled in Pardes Hanna. He studied at the Mikveh Israel agricultural school.

After serving in the IDF, he studied at the Bnei Akiva teachers seminary in Kfar HaRoeh. He earned a BA at Bar-Ilan University and began MA studies in public administration there.

He began teaching in Ashkelon in 1971. He later headed a school in Jerusalem, ran the education division of Mevaseret Zion, and served as a national supervisor in the Ministry of Education. In 1982 he founded the Hibba movement for Jewish heritage.

He entered Jerusalem city politics in 1993 and later became deputy mayor. In 1996 he was appointed head of the Lakiya local council for a year. He entered the Knesset in 1998 after the death of Zevulun Hammer, and served again from 2006 to 2009.

In 2008 he joined the Likud ahead of the 2009 elections. In 2017 he received the Yakir Yerushalayim award. He is married and has 3 children.