Meir Cohen

Meir Cohen was born in 1955 in Essaouira

Cohen was born in Essaouira, Morocco, in 1955. His family immigrated to Israel, first living in Yeruham and later moving to Dimona. His sister Ruti Shitrit is married to former minister Meir Shitrit.

He was drafted into the IDF in 1973 and fought in the Yom Kippur War with the paratroopers. He then earned a bachelor's degree in history at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and a master's degree in Jewish Studies at the Schechter Institute in Jerusalem. He worked in education in Dimona and became a school principal.

Running for Yisrael Beiteinu, he was elected mayor of Dimona in 2003 with 42% of the vote and won a second term in 2008. During his time in office, unemployment fell and the city's first mall opened. In 2012 he joined Yesh Atid.

Cohen entered the Knesset in 2013 and was appointed welfare minister, resigning in December 2014. He became Deputy Speaker of the Knesset in October 2015 and led a 2018 amendment to the Welfare Services Law. He served again as welfare minister from 2021 to 2022.

In June 2020 a television investigation made allegations of sexual misconduct during his time at Dimona city hall, which Cohen denied. He lives in Modi'in with his wife Naama, and they have 3 sons.