Avigdor "Avi" Maoz ( he, אֲבִיגְדוֹר "אָבִי" מָעוֹז, born 6 July 1956)
''Mako'', 25 March 2021 (in Hebrew) is an Israeli civil servant and politician. The leader of the far-right

Noam Noam ( he, נועם) is a Hebrew name which means "pleasantness", and although it started as the male version of the female ''Na'omi'' (English: "Naomi" or "Noémie"), today, it is a very common Hebrew name for both males and females alike. The co ...

party, he is currently its sole member in the

Knesset The Knesset ( he, הַכְּנֶסֶת ; "gathering" or "assembly") is the unicameral legislature of Israel. As the supreme state body, the Knesset is sovereign and thus has complete control of the entirety of the Israeli government (with ...

Biography

Maoz was born Avigdor Fischheimer in the Kiryat Shmuel neighborhood of Haifa. He is the son of

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...

survivors Esther and Israel Fischheimer. In 1975 he enlisted in the IDF and in 1977, he was a partner in establishing the settlement

Migdal Oz Migdal ( he, מִגְדָּל) is a Hebrew word for tower. It may refer to: People * Alexander Migdal (born 1945), Soviet, Russian and American physicist, son of Arkady Migdal * Arkady Migdal (1911–1991), Soviet physicist * Ted Migdal (1918–19 ...

Gush Etzion Gush Etzion ( he, גּוּשׁ עֶצְיוֹן, ' Etzion Bloc) is a cluster of Israeli settlements located in the Judaean Mountains, directly south of Jerusalem and Bethlehem in the West Bank. The core group includes four Jewish agricultural v ...

, and was later the secretary of the Kibbutz. Between 1980 and 1991, he studied at a yeshiva.

Early career

Maoz was appointed Director of the

Ministry of Interior An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...

Natan Sharansky Natan Sharansky ( he, נתן שרנסקי; russian: Ната́н Щара́нский; uk, Натан Щаранський, born Anatoly Borisovich Shcharansky on 20 January 1948); uk, Анатолій Борисович Щаранський, ...

in 1999, and subsequently became director of the Ministry of Housing under minister

Effi Eitam Efraim "Effi" (Fine) Eitam ( he, אפרים "אפי" איתם, born 25 July 1952) is an Israeli brigadier general, former commander of the 91st Division, and a politician. A former leader of the National Religious Party, he later led a breakaway ...

.Reform rabbi, Kahanist agitator, firebrand writer: The new Knesset's 16 rookies
''The Times of Israel'', 26 March 2021 He also served as the director-general of

Yisrael BaAliyah Yisrael BaAliyah ( he, ישראל בעלייה, ; lit., ''Israel on the up'') was a political party in Israel between its formation in 1996 and its merger into Likud in 2003. It was formed to represent the interests of Russian immigrants by forme ...

Political career

Maoz became leader of the Noam party after its establishment in 2019. He and Noam campaign on Israel's "Jewish identity", which Maoz argues should be a far-right interpretation of

Orthodox Judaism Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses ...

, and against secularism and

Reform Judaism Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its ethical aspects to its ceremonial ones, and belief in a continuous sear ...

. He has campaigned heavily against LGBT rights, calling for a ban on Pride parades and the legalisation of conversion therapy. He is against women serving in the Israel Defense Forces, and has called for increased gender segregation in public events. Prior to the 2021 Knesset elections he was placed sixth on the

Religious Zionist Party The Religious Zionist Party ( he, הציונות הדתית, HaTzionut HaDatit, The Religious Zionism), known as Tkuma ( he, תקומה, , Revival) until 2021 and still officially known as National Union–Tkuma ( he, האיחוד הלאומי-� ...

list, and was elected to the Knesset as the party won six seats. He was re-elected in the 2022 Knesset elections as part of the Religious Zionism Party, though the party split into three factions on 20 November 2022. An agreement signed on 27 November 2022 will appoint Maoz a deputy minister in the coalition under

Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu (; ; born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who served as the ninth prime minister of Israel from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 to 2021. He is currently serving as Leader of the Opposition and Chairman of ...

. As part of the agreement, Maoz will head a new organization focused on Jewish identity, which will include control of Nativ, a body which administers immigration from former Soviet countries. Maoz has said he wishes to change Israel's

Law of Return The Law of Return ( he, חֹוק הַשְׁבוּת, ''ḥok ha-shvūt'') is an Israeli law, passed on 5 July 1950, which gives Jews, people with one or more Jewish grandparent, and their spouses the right to relocate to Israel and acquire Isr ...

to exclude non-Jewish grandchildren of Jews and recognise only Orthodox conversions to Judaism for migration. Maoz's appointment went into effect on 3 January 2023. On 27 February 2023, Maoz announced his intention to resign as deputy minister, claiming the government did not intend on fulfilling Noam's coalition agreeement with Likud. his resignation went into effect on 1 March.

Personal life

Maoz lives in Jerusalem, is married and has ten children.How to Understand the Right-Wing Religious Zionists Parties
''Jewish Press'', 11 February 2021

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Maoz, Avi 1956 births Living people 20th-century Israeli civil servants 21st-century Israeli civil servants Israeli Orthodox Jews Jewish Israeli politicians Leaders of political parties in Israel Members of the 24th Knesset (2021–2022) Members of the 25th Knesset (2022–) Noam (political party) politicians Politicians from Haifa Religious Zionist Party politicians