Rafael Edri ( he, רפאל אדרי, born 10 September 1937) is an Israeli former politician who served as

Minister of the Environment An environment minister (sometimes minister of the environment or secretary of the environment) is a Cabinet (government), cabinet position charged with protecting the natural environment and promoting wildlife conservation. The areas associated ...

and

Minister without Portfolio A minister without portfolio is either a government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister who does not head a particular ministry. The sinecure is particularly common in countries ruled by coalition governments and a cabinet w ...

between 1988 and 1990.

Early life

Born in

Casablanca Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...

in Morocco, Edri made

aliyah Aliyah (, ; he, עֲלִיָּה ''ʿălīyyā'', ) is the immigration of Jews from Jewish diaspora, the diaspora to, historically, the geographical Land of Israel, which is in the modern era chiefly represented by the Israel, State of Israel ...

in 1956. In 1965, then known as Raphael Cohen and an oil company engineer, he married Annie-Claude Amar, the daughter of Moroccan Jewish businessman

David Amar David Amar (1920–2000) was a Moroccan businessman, leader of the Moroccan Jewish community, politician, and philanthropist. Early life David Amar was born in Settat, Morocco. Business career Amar was the head of Omnium Nord-Africain, Morocco ...

, in the presence of two members of the Moroccan Cabinet, several former Ministers and the National Police Chief.Two Members of Moroccan Cabinet Attend Jewish Wedding in Casablanca
''Jewish Telegraphic Agency'' 22 April 1965 She died on 6 August 1993.Frenchman to buy stake in Israel Salt
''Haaretz'', 8 July 2004 Edri joined the Labour Party and served as head of

Hatzor HaGlilit Hatzor HaGlilit ( he, חָצוֹר הַגְּלִילִית lit. "Hatzor of Galilee") is a town in the Korazim Plateau in northern Israel near Rosh Pinna and Safed. It is named for the nearby biblical site of Tel Hazor. In it had a population o ...

local council. Away from politics, he was on the executive committee of

Solel Boneh Solel Boneh ( he, סולל בונה, lit. ''Paving and Building'') is the oldest, and one of the largest, construction and civil engineering companies in Israel. History During British rule (1921-1948) Solel Boneh was founded in 1921 in British ...

, served as director-general and chairman of Shikun Ovdim, and chaired the World Assembly of Maghreb Jews in Israel. In 1981 he was elected to 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 ...

on the Alignment's list. He was re-elected in 1984 and served as chairman of the Alignment parliamentary group and of the

national unity government A national unity government, government of national unity (GNU), or national union government is a broad coalition government consisting of all parties (or all major parties) in the legislature, usually formed during a time of war or other nati ...

coalition. Re-elected again in 1988, Edri was appointed both

in the national unity government of 1988. He left the

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

in 1990 when the Alignment pulled out of the coalition. After being re-elected in 1992 he became Deputy

Speaker of the Knesset The Speaker of the Knesset ( he, יוֹשֵׁב רֹאשׁ הכנסת, Yoshev Rosh HaKnesset, Chairman of the Knesset) is the presiding officer of the Knesset, the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Israel. The Speaker also acts as Presiden ...

, a role he continued in after the 1996 elections. He lost his seat in the

1999 elections The following elections occurred in the year 1999. * 1999 electoral calendar Africa * 1999 Algerian presidential election * 1999 Botswana general election * 1999 Beninese parliamentary election * 1999 Central African Republic presidential elect ...

.Raphael Edery: Knesset activities
Knesset

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Edri, Rafael 1937 births Living people Alignment (Israel) politicians Deputy Speakers of the Knesset Israeli Labor Party politicians Jewish Israeli politicians Members of the 10th Knesset (1981–1984) Members of the 11th Knesset (1984–1988) Members of the 12th Knesset (1988–1992) Members of the 13th Knesset (1992–1996) Members of the 14th Knesset (1996–1999) Ministers of Environment of Israel Moroccan emigrants to Israel 20th-century Moroccan Jews People from Casablanca People from Northern District (Israel)