Ya'akov Margi

Ya'akov Margi
File:Ya'akov Margi.jpg
Date of birth	(1960-11-18) 18 November 1960
Place of birth	Morocco
Year of aliyah	1962
Knessets	16, 17, 18, 19, 20
Faction represented in Knesset
2003–	Shas
Ministerial roles
2009–2013	Minister of Religious Services

Ya'akov Margi (Hebrew: יעקב מרגי‎, born 18 November 1960) is an Israeli politician who currently serves as a member of the Knesset for Shas.

Biography

Margi was born in Morocco and brought to Israel during Operation Yakhin in 1962.

Between 1993 and 2003 he served as chairman of the local religious council in Beersheba. Since 2001 he has been the director general of Shas. He was first elected to the Knesset in 2003. After retaining his seat in the 2006 elections, Margi served as group chairperson of the party's faction at the Knesset. He also served briefly as chairman of the House Committee.

He retained his seat again in the 2009 elections, having been placed sixth on the Shas list, and was appointed Minister of Religious Services in the Netanyahu government.

Margi lives in Sde Tzvi. He is married and a father of two.

During Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Israel, he wrote a letter to the pontiff demanding that he clearly condemn the purveyors of Holocaust denial and antisemitism.

External links

• Ya'akov Margi on the Knesset website