Yifat Shasha-Biton (, born 23 May 1973) is an Israeli educator and politician. She was appointed
Minister of Education in June 2021. She was elected to the twenty-fourth
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 ...
on the
New Hope list, after serving as an MK for
Kulanu
Kulanu ( he, כולנו, lit. ''All of Us'') was a centrist political party in Israel founded by Moshe Kahlon that focused on economic and cost-of-living issues.
History
The party was established on 27 November 2014 following months of spec ...
and
Likud
Likud ( he, הַלִּיכּוּד, HaLikud, The Consolidation), officially known as Likud – National Liberal Movement, is a major centre-right to right-wing political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin and Ariel Sharon ...
. She held the post of
Minister of Construction and Housing from 2019 to 2020.
Biography
Yifat Shasha-Biton was born in
Kiryat Shmona
Kiryat Shmona ( he, קִרְיַת שְׁמוֹנָה, ''lit.'' Town of the Eight) is a city in the Northern District of Israel on the western slopes of the Hula Valley near the Lebanese border. The city was named after the eight people, includi ...
in 1973 to Rachel, a nurse born in
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
and Moshe David, the owner of a transportation company born in
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
. She attended the
Darca Danciger high school in Kiryat Shmona.
In 2002 she received her doctorate in education from the
University of Haifa
The University of Haifa ( he, אוניברסיטת חיפה Arabic: جامعة حيفا) is a university located on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel. Founded in 1963, the University of Haifa received full academic accreditation in 1972, becoming Is ...
, having already obtained bachelor's and master's degrees in education at the same university. She wrote her doctoral dissertation on how education affects the understanding of the concept of peace among Israeli and Palestinian students.
[Meet the New MK: Kulanu's Shasha-Biton wants to narrow social gaps through education](_blank)
''The Jerusalem Post'', 19 April 2015
Shasha-Biton lived in Kiryat Shmona for much of her life and raised three children there with her husband. As of 2018, she is a resident of
Zikhron Ya'akov
Zikhron Ya'akov ( he, זִכְרוֹן יַעֲקֹב, ''lit.'' "Jacob's Memorial"; often shortened to just ''Zikhron'') is a town in Israel, south of Haifa, and part of the Haifa District. It is located at the southern end of the Carmel mounta ...
.
Academic and political career
Shasha-Biton became Vice President of
Ohalo College
Ohalo College ( he, מכללת אוהלו, ''Mikhlelet Ohalo''), also known as the Ohalo College of Education, is an Israeli leading institution that specializes in teachers' and kindergarten teachers' training toward a B.Ed. degree in various di ...
, a teacher training college in
Katzrin
Katzrin ( he, קַצְרִין; also Qatzrin, ar, قصرين, qaṣrīn) is an Israeli settlement organized as a local council in the Golan Heights. Known as the "capital of the Golan", it is the second-largest locality there after Majdal Sh ...
, and was also a member of the board at
Tel-Hai Academic College
Tel-Hai College is a college located in Tel Hai in northern Israel, near Kibbutz Kfar Giladi and north of Kiryat Shmona.
The college offers academic and continuing education programs for approximately 4,500 students, 70 percent of whom come from ...
.
In 2008 she ran for mayor of
Kiryat Shmona
Kiryat Shmona ( he, קִרְיַת שְׁמוֹנָה, ''lit.'' Town of the Eight) is a city in the Northern District of Israel on the western slopes of the Hula Valley near the Lebanese border. The city was named after the eight people, includi ...
, and was appointed Deputy Mayor and head of the Education and Youth department at the City Council. In the
2013 local elections she was elected to the City Council. Prior to the
2015 elections
The following elections were scheduled to occur in the year 2015.
Africa
* 2015 Beninese parliamentary election 26 April 2015
* 2015 Burkinabé general election 29 November 2015
* 2015 Burundian legislative election 29 June 2015
* 2015 Burun ...
she joined the new
Kulanu
Kulanu ( he, כולנו, lit. ''All of Us'') was a centrist political party in Israel founded by Moshe Kahlon that focused on economic and cost-of-living issues.
History
The party was established on 27 November 2014 following months of spec ...
party, and was placed seventh on its list. She was elected to the Knesset as the party won ten seats.
After being elected to the 20th Knesset, Shasha-Biton became chair of the Special Committee for the Rights of the Child. The Special Committee for the Rights of the Child dealt with daycare and preschool supervision, summer employment of youth, adoption, violence in schools, and sexual exploitation of children. In early 2016 she held discussions with child advocates, including "Lo Tishtok" (Thou Shalt Not Be Silent), a group offering support to ultra-Orthodox victims of sexual abuse.
In response to studies about child abuse, Shasha-Biton has stated: "To end the epidemic of sexual abuse of minors, we must act systemically to raise awareness among parents and children; to provide tools to educators to identify children who were harmed; and improve the care and support to the victims and their families. In addition, changes must be made in legislation and law enforcement to bring those who harm to justice." In the 20th Knesset, Shasha-Biton also chaired the Lobby for the Status of Teachers in Israel and the Lobby for Border Settlements - Confrontation Line. She was a member of the Science and Technology Committee, the Subcommittee on Space, and was part of the Lobby for Distributive Justice, the Lobby for Promoting a Healthy Body Image among Youth, the Lobby for Women in Business and the Lobby for Narrowing Gaps in Education.
In January 2019 Shasha-Biton was appointed
Minister of Construction and Housing after the incumbent, Kulanu colleague
Yoav Galant
Yoav Galant (; born 8 November 1958) is an Israeli politician currently serving as the Minister of Defense since 2022. He is a former commander of the Southern Command in the Israel Defense Forces. In January 2015, he entered politics, joinin ...
, left the party and changed portfolios. She was placed third on the Kulanu list for the
April 2019 elections, and was re-elected as the party won four seats. The party subsequently merged into
Likud
Likud ( he, הַלִּיכּוּד, HaLikud, The Consolidation), officially known as Likud – National Liberal Movement, is a major centre-right to right-wing political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin and Ariel Sharon ...
and she was re-elected on the Likud list in the
September 2019 elections. In January 2020 she was nominated for
Minister of Labor, Welfare and Social Services, but her nomination was put on hold until the Knesset could approve it.
When a
new government was formed in May 2020, she was not included in the new cabinet. She took a position serving as Knesset Coronavirus chairwoman.
![Yifat Shasha-Biton 03](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Yifat_Shasha-Biton_03.jpg)
On 13 July 2020, she voted to reverse the government decision to shutter pools and gyms because of fears of contagion from the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. Channel 12 reported that Likud coalition whip
Miki Zohar
Makhlouf "Miki" Zohar (, born 28 March 1980) is an Israeli politician. He currently serves as the Minister of Culture and Sports in the thirty-seventh government. Zohar previously served as a member of the Knesset for Likud and chairman of Glob ...
told her: "You are finished in the Likud party." He added that she would be removed as chairwoman from the COVID-19 committee. However, Likud MK
Gideon Sa'ar
Gideon Moshe Sa'ar ( he, גִּדְעוֹן סַעַר; born 9 December 1966) is an Israeli politician who has served as Minister of Justice since June 2021. Sa'ar was previously a member of the Knesset for the Likud between 2003 and 2014, as De ...
expressed his support for her and said decisions about closings should be made based on data and not because of threats. In December 2020, she announced that she would join Sa'ar's new party,
New Hope. She was placed second on the list for the
March 2021 elections and retained her seat in the Knesset as New Hope won six seats.
On 13 June 2021, she was appointed as Minister of Education in the
thirty-sixth government of Israel
The thirty-sixth government of Israel, or the Bennett–Lapid government, was the cabinet of Israel that was formed on 13 June 2021 after the 2021 Israeli legislative election. On 2 June 2021, a coalition agreement was signed between Yesh Ati ...
. She announced that she wished to implement changes in the school week so that high school students in Israel would study for five days a week, instead of six, and elementary school students would also study five days a week but with enrichment classes on Friday. Shasha-Biton stated that the proposed change would take time to implement.
In 2021
Oded Goldreich
Oded Goldreich ( he, עודד גולדרייך; b. 1957) is a professor of Computer Science at the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science of Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel. His research interests lie within the theory of computation ...
was selected by an Israel Prize committee to win the
Israel Prize
The Israel Prize ( he, פרס ישראל; ''pras israél'') is an award bestowed by the State of Israel, and regarded as the state's highest cultural honor.
History
The Israel Prize is awarded annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state cer ...
in mathematics. After the Supreme Court voided
Yoav Galant
Yoav Galant (; born 8 November 1958) is an Israeli politician currently serving as the Minister of Defense since 2022. He is a former commander of the Southern Command in the Israel Defense Forces. In January 2015, he entered politics, joinin ...
's decision to deny Goldreich the Israel Prize and ruled that the matter should be resolved by Shasha-Biton, in November 2021, she announced that she would block Goldreich from receiving the prize. In an editorial, the ''Jerusalem Post'' wrote that Goldreich's "
lling for the boycott of professional colleagues... is a red line that shouldn't be crossed". A ''Haaretz'' editorial said that Shasha-Biton's decision meant "the most prestigious prize awarded by Israel will not be the mark of scientific excellence but of loyalty to the government".
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shasha-Biton, Yifat
1973 births
Living people
Israeli Jews
University of Haifa alumni
Israeli educators
Ohalo College faculty
Kulanu politicians
Likud politicians
Women members of the Knesset
People from Kiryat Shmona
Women government ministers of Israel
Members of the 20th Knesset (2015–2019)
Members of the 21st Knesset (2019)
Members of the 22nd Knesset (2019–2020)
Members of the 23rd Knesset (2020–2021)
Members of the 24th Knesset (2021–2022)
Members of the 25th Knesset (2022–)
Deputy mayors of places in Israel
21st-century Israeli women politicians
Israeli people of Moroccan-Jewish descent
Israeli people of Iraqi-Jewish descent
Ministers of Education of Israel
New Hope (Israel) politicians
Jewish Israeli politicians