Ze'ev Elkin

Ze'ev Elkin was born in 1971 in Kharkiv

Elkin was born Vladimir Borisovich Elkin in Kharkiv, in Soviet Ukraine, to a secular Jewish family. As a young man he became interested in Judaism, joined Bnei Akiva and taught himself Hebrew. In 1990 he became general secretary of Bnei Akiva in the Soviet Union, and in December that year he moved to Israel with his wife.

He studied mathematics and physics at Kharkiv University from 1987 to 1990 and earned a degree in mathematics. In Israel he earned degrees in history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and studied at Yeshivat Har Etzion. He researched Saadia Gaon and taught at the university from 1996 to 2006.

Elkin entered the Knesset in 2006 with Kadima and moved to Likud in 2008. He served as Likud faction chairman, coalition chairman, Deputy Foreign Minister and chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. From 2015 he was a minister, in charge of immigrant absorption, Jerusalem, environmental protection, and later higher education and water resources.

In 2018 he ran for mayor of Jerusalem and came third. In December 2020 he left Likud for New Hope, led by Gideon Sa'ar. In 2021 he became Minister of Housing and Construction and Minister of Jerusalem and Heritage. He is married and has 5 children.