Joseph Sapir

Joseph Sapir was born in 1902 in Jaffa

Sapir was born in Jaffa in 1902 into a family of citrus growers. His father, Eliyahu Sapir, was an educator and later managed a bank branch in Jaffa. His great-grandfather was the rabbi and scholar Jacob Saphir.

He owned an orange grove in Petah Tikva and was active in the farmers' association. He was elected mayor of Petah Tikva in 1940 and held the post until 1951. In 1947 and 1948 he chaired the Center of Local Government.

In 1949 he entered the first Knesset and served until his death during the seventh. He represented the General Zionists, then the Liberal Party and Gahal, and chaired the Interior Committee. He was briefly Minister of Health in 1952 and then Minister of Transportation until 1955.

He became minister without portfolio in the unity government formed on the eve of the Six-Day War. Later he served as Minister of Trade and Industry under Golda Meir until Gahal left the coalition in 1970.

Sapir died in 1972 while on a mission in Australia. He was buried in Segula Cemetery in Petah Tikva. The community of Karmei Yosef is named after him.