Yitzhak "Ijo" Rager ( he, יצחק "איז'ו" רגר, 1932–1997) was an Israeli journalist, diplomat, and a

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 S ...

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

Beersheba Beersheba or Beer Sheva, officially Be'er-Sheva ( he, בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע, ''Bəʾēr Ševaʿ'', ; ar, بئر السبع, Biʾr as-Sabʿ, Well of the Oath or Well of the Seven), is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. ...

. Rager was born in

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metr ...

, though immediately after his birth, his family moved to Mandate Palestine and settled in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. In his

IDF IDF or idf may refer to: Defence forces *Irish Defence Forces *Israel Defense Forces *Iceland Defense Force, of the US Armed Forces, 1951-2006 *Indian Defence Force, a part-time force, 1917 Organizations *Israeli Diving Federation *Interaction ...

service he reached the rank of lieutenant colonel and took part in the

Six-Day War The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab states (primarily Egypt, Syria, and Jordan) from 5 to 10 ...

. Rager had two children: Eviatar Rager (born 1959) and Avishag Goldberger-Rager (born 1970), both of whom reside in Israel. After his discharge he worked in the

mass media Mass media refers to a diverse array of media technologies that reach a large audience via mass communication. The technologies through which this communication takes place include a variety of outlets. Broadcast media transmit informati ...

; among his posts were as European correspondent for Kol Israel, the Israeli national radio service, editor of the periodical ''HaYom'' and director-general of the Israel Broadcasting Authority. During that period, he was affiliated with the

General Zionists The General Zionists ( he, הַצִיּוֹנִים הַכְּלָלִיים, translit. ''HaTzionim HaKlaliym'') were a centrist Zionist movement and a political party in Israel. The General Zionists supported the leadership of Chaim Weizmann a ...

, a centrist political party, and particularly aligned with Yitzhak Rokeach. On behalf of Israel's Foreign Service, Rager was posted to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

as a consul, where he focused on the international efforts to open the gates of emigration from the

USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nati ...

for Soviet Jewry. Afterwards he was made world president of the

State of Israel Bonds Israel Bonds, the commonly-known name of Development Corporation for Israel (DCI), is the U.S. underwriter of debt securities issued by the State of Israel. DCI is headquartered in New York City, and is a broker-dealer and member of the Financial ...

. As a business entrepreneur, Rager was among the founders of ''Kanyon HaNegev'' (lit. ''Negev Mall''), the

Negev The Negev or Negeb (; he, הַנֶּגֶב, hanNegév; ar, ٱلنَّقَب, an-Naqab) is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its sout ...

's largest commercial center and one of the group established by Canadian developer

David Azrieli David Joshua Azrieli, ( he, דוד יהושע עזריאלי; 10 May 1922 – 9 July 2014) was an Israeli-Canadian real estate tycoon, developer, designer, architect, and philanthropist. With an estimated net worth of US$3.1 billion as of ...

. Its success was the source of some conflict in Beersheba. Proponents touted the Kanyon's successful businesses and how the modernized facility offered local residents amenities comparable to the Westernized center of the country and abroad, purportedly raising their standard of living. However, the competition badly harmed the businesses of Beersheba's Old City, which have yet to recover. Yitzhak Rager, running as the Likud party's candidate, was elected to the mayoralty in 1989. He was re-elected and served a total of eight years until his death. Through his efforts, in 1992 Beersheba was designated a prime development area, resulting in major strides in its advancement and the absorption of tens of thousands of new immigrants. In his memory, a principal thoroughfare in Beersheba was renamed Yitzhak Rager Boulevard. It connects

Ben Gurion University of the Negev Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) ( he, אוניברסיטת בן-גוריון בנגב, ''Universitat Ben-Guriyon baNegev'') is a public research university in Beersheba, Israel. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has five campuses: the ...

, the

Soroka Medical Center Soroka University Medical Center ( he, המרכז הרפואי סורוקה, ''HaMerkaz HaRefu'i Soroka''), part of the Clalit Health Services Group, is the general hospital of Beersheba, Israel, it serves as the central hospital of the region and ...

, the Beersheba municipality, and the Negev Mall.

External links

Death notice, incl. bio sketch, in the New York Times (June 15, 1997)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rager, Yitzhak Mayors of Beersheba Israeli journalists 1932 births 1997 deaths Egyptian Jews Egyptian emigrants to Mandatory Palestine General Zionists politicians Likud politicians 20th-century journalists