Politicsיצחק וקנין

Isaac Vaknin

Yitzhak Vaknin is an Israeli politician who served as a Shas member of the Knesset from 1996 to 2019 and as Minister of Religious Services in 2019 and 2020.

born 1958Shas member of KnessetMinister of Religious ServicesThe Galilee LawFounding Birkat Margalit charity

Born: 12 May 1958, Israel
Occupation: politician
Party: Shas

Isaac Vaknin was born in 1958 in Israel

Vaknin was born in 1958 in the moshav Ya'ara to Eliyahu and Simi Vaknin. His parents had immigrated from Morocco in 1954.

He joined the IDF in 1977 and worked as an armor mechanic. He was discharged in 1982 and later taught car mechanics.

From 1982 to 1987 he was secretary of the Gornot HaGalil settlement. He chaired the Ya'ara committee from 1988 to 1996, was secretary of Ma'ale Yosef Regional Council from 1988 to 1993, and headed its religious council from 1993 to 1996. In 2000 he founded Birkat Margalit, a charity that helps people in need.

He entered the Knesset for Shas in 1996 and was reelected in every election through 2015. He was Deputy Minister of Communications from 1999 to 2000 and Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Welfare from 2001. He promoted laws including the Galilee Law, which gives benefits to farmers in northern Israel.

In January 2019 he became Minister of Religious Services, replacing David Azoulay, and served until May 2020. He did not run in the April 2019 elections. He is married to Tzipora, has 5 daughters, and lives in Ya'ara.