Yosi Snir

Yosi Snir was born in 1946 in Poland

Snir was born in 1946. His parents were Polish-born Holocaust survivors who fled to the Soviet Union and later ran a displaced persons camp in Austria. The family immigrated to Israel and settled in Ramla, where he grew up and attended a religious state school.

A childhood book about a young sailor drew him to the sea, and he studied for 4 years at the naval officers school in Akko. He later earned a bachelor's degree in naval engineering in 1969, an MBA from Tel Aviv University in 1981, and a doctorate from the same university in 2019.

In the navy he studied at the French naval academy in Brest, trained officers, served on missile boats and moved to naval intelligence after a training accident. He retired as a colonel.

He served 7 years as director general of the Rishon LeZion municipality under mayor Meir Nitzan, and then as director general of the Ministry of Industry and Trade until 1996. He later headed the Israel office of De Beers and the London diamond syndicate.

From 2001 to 2004 he led Israel Railways, which became a government company during his term. After he left, he was investigated, and the case was closed with no criminal guilt found. He then joined a Mexican group's copper project at Timna.