Politicsשלמה בניזרי

Shlomo Benizri

Shlomo Benizri is an Israeli rabbi and Shas politician who served in the Knesset from 1992 to 2008 and as Minister of Health and Labor and Social Welfare Minister.

born 1961Shas Knesset memberMinister of HealthBribery conviction

Born: 7 February 1961, Haifa
Occupation: politician, rabbi
Party: Shas

Shlomo Benizri was born in 1961 in Haifa

Shlomo Benizri was born on 7 February 1961 in Nesher. He was one of 8 children of Maimon and Aliza Benizri. He went to school in Nesher and at a religious youth village near Kfar Hasidim.

He joined the IDF in 1979, served in the Intelligence Corps and took part in the First Lebanon War. He later studied for 10 years at Yeshivat Or HaChaim in Jerusalem and was ordained as a rabbi. He then taught there and served as its spiritual director.

He entered the Knesset for Shas in 1992 and chaired its faction. He was Deputy Minister of Health from 1996, Minister of Health under Ehud Barak, and Labor and Social Welfare Minister under Ariel Sharon until 2003.

In 2006 he was charged with accepting bribes and breach of trust. In 2008 a district court convicted him of bribery, breach of trust, obstruction of justice and conspiracy, and he left the Knesset. In 2009 the Supreme Court raised his sentence to 4 years in prison.

He began his sentence in 2009 at Maasiyahu prison and was released early on 1 March 2012. He lives in Jerusalem, is married and has 8 children.