Uri Shitrit

Uri Shitrit was born in 1952 in Marrakech

Uri Shitrit was born in 1952 in Marrakech, where his father ran a suit tailoring business. His family immigrated to Israel in March 1956 and settled in Moshav Dvora in the Taanach region. He went to high school as a boarding student at the Boyar school in Jerusalem.

He joined the IDF in February 1970 and served with the Paratroopers Brigade until August 1974. After his release he studied architecture at the Technion, finishing in 1980. He then earned a master's degree in architecture at Harvard University in 1982.

Shitrit trained in the office of Moshe Safdie in Boston and later became his partner in Jerusalem. In 1991 he opened his own office in Jaffa. His works include the Jaffa Courtyards complex and Beit Daniel in Jaffa.

In 2001 he became Jerusalem's city engineer and held the post until 2006. He promoted a master plan for the city and was responsible for the design of the light rail line. He ran with Kadima for the 17th Knesset but was not elected.

In 2014 he was convicted of taking bribes in the Holyland affair and sentenced to prison. He began his sentence in February 2016 at Maasiyahu prison. He was released in March 2020 and opened an architecture office in Mamilla, Jerusalem.