Politicsמאי גולן

May Golan

May Golan is an Israeli Likud politician and Knesset member who serves as Minister for Social Equality and Women's Empowerment, and was earlier an activist against illegal immigration in south Tel Aviv.

born 1986Campaigning against African migrationFounding Hebrew CityMinister for Social Equality

Born: 3 May 1986, Kiryat Gat
Occupation: social activist
Party: Likud
Founded: Hebrew City (2013)

May Golan was born in 1986 in Kiryat Gat

Golan was born on 3 May 1986 and grew up near the old central bus station in Tel Aviv. She was raised by a single Orthodox mother who came from Iraq as a child in Operation Ezra and Nehemiah.

At age 9 she and her mother appeared in a television report on poverty. Actress Gila Almagor then took an interest in her, and she moved to a school in north Tel Aviv. She later attended Ironi Dalet High School but left during her first year and studied externally.

Golan became politically active in 2011, campaigning against the presence of undocumented African migrants in south Tel Aviv. In 2013 she founded the group Hebrew City, which sought seats on the Tel Aviv city council but was disqualified on technical grounds. That year she also ran on the Otzma Leyisrael list, which did not pass the threshold.

She was elected to the Knesset for Likud in 2019, lost her seat in the next election, and returned in 2020. She was elected again in 2022 and became a minister. Her remarks on African migrants and on Gaza have drawn criticism, and a 2023 nomination as consul general in New York did not go ahead.