Ori Orr

Ori Orr was born in 1939 in Kfar Ma'as

Orr was born in 1939 in Kfar Ma'as and grew up in Kfar Haim. His father came to the country from Austria and his mother from Russia. He earned a BA in political science and history from Tel Aviv University.

He joined the IDF in 1957 and served in the Armored Corps. He fought in the Six-Day War, the War of Attrition and the Yom Kippur War, when his reserve brigade fought the Syrian attack on the Golan Heights. He later headed Central Command and Northern Command, and retired in 1987 after he was not named Chief of Staff.

After the army he led the Jewish National Fund and joined the Labor Party. He was elected to the Knesset in 1992 and chaired the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. After Rabin's assassination he became Deputy Minister of Defense in the Peres government.

In 1998 a newspaper interview quoted him making remarks about Moroccan Jews, which drew public criticism. Orr denied the quotes and apologized. He was not elected to the Knesset in 1999.

In 1999 he became chairman of the board of Israel Aerospace Industries. He chairs the Council for Conservation of Heritage Sites in Israel. He is married with 3 children.