Pnina Tamano-Shata

Pnina Tamano-Shata (Hebrew: פְּנִינָה תַּמֶנוֹ־שֶׁטֶה; born 1 November 1981) is an Israeli lawyer, journalist, and politician. The first Ethiopian-born woman to enter the Knesset in 2013,[1] in 2020 she also became the first Ethiopian-born minister after being appointed Minister of Immigrant Absorption.[2]

Pnina Tamano-Shata
Tamano-Shata in November 2012
Ministerial roles
2020–2022Minister of Immigrant Absorption
Faction represented in the Knesset
2013–2015Yesh Atid
2018–2019Yesh Atid
2019–2021Blue and White
2022–National Unity
Personal details
Born (1981-11-01) 1 November 1981
Wuzaba, Ethiopia

Early life

Tamano-Shata was born in Wuzaba, a village located near the city of Gondar in the Amhara Region of northern Ethiopia. Her family immigrated to Israel when she was three during the evacuation of the Ethiopian Jews from Sudan nicknamed Operation Moses.[1] She, her five brothers, and her father were among almost 7,000 Ethiopian Jews airlifted out of the country by Mossad to Israel between November 1984 and January 1985. Her mother followed several years later.[2]

She studied law at Ono Academic College at Kiryat Ono in the Tel Aviv District, and became Deputy Chairman of the national Ethiopian Student Association.[3]

From 2007 to 2012 she worked as a reporter for Channel 1.[4]

Political career

Prior to the 2013 Knesset elections, Tamano-Shata joined the new Yesh Atid party. Placed 14th on the party's list,[5] she became a Knesset member as the party won 19 seats. She was placed 13th on the party's list for the 2015 elections,[6] but lost her seat as the party was reduced to 11 seats.

On 9 February 2018, she returned to the Knesset as a replacement for Ya'akov Peri,[7] who had resigned following allegations that he had leaked information during a corruption investigation twenty years beforehand.[8] Prior to the April 2019 elections, Yesh Atid became part of the Blue and White, with Tamano-Shata placed 24th on the alliance's list. She was re-elected as Blue and White won 35 seats. She was re-elected again in the September 2019 elections. Following the March 2020 elections, she was appointed Minister of Aliyah and Integration, also known as Minister of Immigrant Absorption, becoming the first Ethiopian-born minister in the Israeli government.[2] She was officially sworn in on 17 May 2020.[9]

In June 2021, Tamanu-Shata was awarded the Magen Begin Prize for Israeli Leadership.[10][11] After being re-appointed to her ministerial role following the 2021 elections, she resigned from the Knesset under the Norwegian Law and was replaced by Alon Tal.

See also

References
  1. All the kingmaker’s men, and women Times of Israel, 23 January 2013
  2. "Israel gets first Ethiopia-born minister". BBC News. 2020-05-15. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
  3. The people we help: Pnina Archived 2011-12-18 at the Wayback Machine Jewish Community Federation
  4. Pnina Tamano-Shata: 1st female Ethiopian Israeli to make her way Archived 2013-02-17 at archive.today FJN, 23 January 2013
  5. Yesh Atid Central Elections Committee
  6. Yesh Atid list Central Elections Committee
  7. Exchange of personalities in the 20th Knesset Knesset
  8. Yesh Atid MK Peri steps down amid misconduct allegations The Times of Israel, 7 February 2018
  9. Levinson, Chaim; Lis, Jonathan (17 May 2020). "After Year of Deadlock and Days of Delays, Knesset Swears in New Israeli Government". Haaretz. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  10. "פרס מגן בגין למנהיגות הישראלית לשנת 2021 הוענק לשרת העלייה והקליטה, ח"כ פנינה תמנו שטה". משרד העלייה והקליטה (in Hebrew). Gov.il. 6 June 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  11. Brenner, Hadassah (12 June 2021). "Aliyah & Integration Minister Pnina Tamano-Shata awarded Magen Begin Prize". Jpost Inc. The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
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