Zvi Gendelman

Zvi Gendelman was born in 1956 in Tiberias

Zvi Gendelman was born in Tiberias in 1956. His family moved to Hadera when he was a child, and he grew up and went to school there. He later earned a master's degree in political science and national security from the University of Haifa.

He joined the naval commando in 1974 and moved to the Armored Corps after an injury. He rose to command the 7th Brigade and the 460th Brigade, became a brigadier general in 1996, and took command of the Ga'ash Division in 1999. In October 2000, after soldiers were abducted at Mount Dov, he took responsibility at a press conference and offered his resignation, which was not accepted.

From 2003 to 2006 he served as military attaché in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Finland. After leaving the army he lost the 2008 race for mayor of Hadera and later managed business projects, including Cinema City Rishon LeZion.

He was elected mayor of Hadera in 2013 for Yesh Atid and was reelected in 2018 with 41% of the vote at the head of an independent list. He was arrested in 2018, was indicted in 2021 and was suspended from office in 2022.

In December 2025 the main charges were dropped under a plea deal. In May 2026 his conviction was canceled, but the court found he had failed to perform an official duty and imposed 250 hours of community service.