Asaf Zamir

Asaf Zamir (Hebrew: אסף זמיר, born 31 August 1980) is an Israeli politician and diplomat. He served as Deputy Mayor of Tel Aviv from 2008 until 2013 and Acting Mayor in charge of education from 2013 to 2018. He was elected to the Knesset in 2019, serving in two spells until 2021. He also held the post of Minister of Tourism from May to October 2020. He was Consul General in New York from October 2021 until his resignation in March 2023, in protest at Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's decision to fire Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

Asaf Zamir
Ministerial roles
2020Minister of Tourism
Faction represented in the Knesset
2019–2020Blue and White
2020–2021Blue and White
Other roles
2021–2023Consul General in New York
Personal details
Born (1980-08-31) 31 August 1980
Ganei Yehuda, Israel

Biography

Zamir was born in Ganei Yehuda to Galia and Muki Zamir. His family lived in Sarasota, Florida in the United States for four years during his childhood.[1] After they returned to Israel, he attended the A.D. Gordon school and Tichon Ironi Daled, and was a member of HaNoar HaOved VeHaLomed and the Hebrew Scouts. During his national service in the Israel Defense Forces he served in the central control unit of the Israeli Air Force. After graduating from Tel Aviv University with a law degree he interned with Naschitz Brandes Amir law firm and qualified as a lawyer.

Zamir is married to the actress Maya Wertheimer, a granddaughter of Stef Wertheimer. His uncle Yitzhak Zamir was a judge in the Supreme Court.

Political and diplomatic career

In the 2008 municipal elections he was elected to Tel Aviv city council as part of the Rov HaIr (Majority of the City) party that he co-founded. Mayor Ron Huldai subsequently appointed Zamir as his deputy, making him the youngest-ever person to hold such a post in Israel.[2] He was re-elected in the 2013 elections, after which he became acting mayor with responsibility for education. In the 2018 Tel Aviv mayoral election, Zamir challenged Huldai for the mayoralty, losing by a margin of 47–34%.

Prior to the April 2019 elections he joined the Israel Resilience Party. After the party joined the Blue and White alliance, he was given the nineteenth slot on the joint list,[3] and was subsequently elected to the Knesset as the alliance won 35 seats. He was re-elected in the September 2019 legislative election and March 2020 legislative election. In May 2020, he was appointed the Minister of Tourism in the thirty-fifth government of Israel led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.[4] He subsequently resigned from the Knesset under the Norwegian Law and was replaced by Einav Kabla. On 2 October 2020 he resigned from the government while criticizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.[5] He was not included in Blue and White's electoral list for the 2021 elections after his vote against a budget extension, which effectively caused the dissolution of the government.[6]

In October 2021 he was appointed Consul General in New York.[7] He resigned the position in March 2023 to protest proposed changes to Israel's judiciary and the planned firing of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.[8] On 28 August 2023, Zamir announced his intention to run alongside Ron Huldai in the 2023 Tel Aviv mayoral election.[9]

References
  1. Lidman, Melanie (25 October 2018). "After 10 years in his shadow, Asaf Zamir wants to replace Tel Aviv Mayor Huldai". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  2. Zieve, Tamara (20 October 2018). "Is Asaf Zamir the new broom Tel Aviv needs to sweep clean?". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  3. "2019 Blue and White list". Central Elections Committee (in Hebrew). Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  4. Levinson, Chaim; Lis, Jonathan (17 May 2020). "After Year of Deadlock and Days of Delays, Knesset Swears in New Israeli Government". Haaretz. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  5. Hoffman, Gil (2 October 2020). "Blue and White minister Asaf Zamir quits government". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  6. "Gantz ousts rebel Blue and White MKs Zamir, Haimovich from party". The Times of Israel. 27 December 2020. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  7. "Asaf Zamir is now Israel's consul general in NY". The Times of Israel. 13 October 2021.
  8. אייכנר, איתמר; אזולאי, מורן (2023-03-26). "אסף זמיר התפטר מתפקיד קונסול ישראל בניו יורק: "הזמן שלי להצטרף למאבק"". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  9. Keller-Lynn, Carrie. "Former NY consul general Zamir joins Tel Aviv Mayor Huldai to run for city hall". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
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