Yuval Zellner ( he, יובל צלנר, born 2 March 1978) is an Israeli politician. He served as a member of 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 (wit ...

for

Kadima Kadima ( he, קדימה, lit=''Forward'') was a centrist and liberal political party in Israel. It was established on 24 November 2005 by moderates from Likud largely following the implementation of Ariel Sharon's unilateral disengagement pl ...

between 2012 and 2013, and again from 2014 until 2015.

Biography

Born in

Ramat HaSharon Ramat HaSharon ( he, רָמַת הַשָּׁרוֹן, ''lit.'' '' Sharon Heights'', ar, رمات هشارون) is a city located on Israel's central coastal strip in the south of the Sharon region, bordering Tel Aviv to the south, Hod HaSharon ...

, Zellner served in the Paratroopers Recon branch of the

Paratroopers Brigade The 35th Brigade ( he, חֲטִיבַת הַצַּנְחָנִים, ''Hativat HaTzanhanim''), also known as the Paratroopers Brigade, is an infantry brigade unit of paratroopers within the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and forms a major part of ...

and was seriously wounded during his

national service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The ...

. Between 1999 and 2003 he studied law at the

Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...

, earning an LLB as well as simultaneously studying for BA in political science at

Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv University (TAU) ( he, אוּנִיבֶרְסִיטַת תֵּל אָבִיב, ''Universitat Tel Aviv'') is a public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Locate ...

. Between 2003 and 2007 he studied for an MA in political science at Tel Aviv University, and also gained an MBA from the

Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya Reichman University ( he, אוניברסיטת רייכמן) is Israel's only private university, located in Herzliya, Tel Aviv District. It was founded in 1994 as the IDC Herzliya private college, before being rebranded in 2021. It receives no ...

in 2008. Zellner worked as an assistant to

Haim Ramon Haim Ramon ( he, חיים רמון, born 10 April 1950) is an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset between 1983 and 2009, and as both Vice Prime Minister and Minister in the Prime Minister's Office with responsibility for st ...

during his time as Internal Affairs Minister, before becoming chief of staff in the Prime Minister's Office when

Ariel Sharon Ariel Sharon (; ; ; also known by his diminutive Arik, , born Ariel Scheinermann, ; 26 February 1928 – 11 January 2014) was an Israeli general and politician who served as the 11th Prime Minister of Israel from March 2001 until April 2006. S ...

was Prime Minister. As part of his role, Zellner led the preparations for the historic visit to Israel of

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

, along with retired

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 ...

Chief of Staff Rafi Peledand then-Chief of Staff Yehuda Wilk The historic visit of Pope John Paul II in Israel

He later worked as CEO of the Economic Development Group in Ramat HaSharon until 2012.Yuval Zellner to replace Livni as Kadima MK
Times of Israel, 2 May 2012 Previously a member of the Labor Party, Zellner joined Kadima in 2005. Ranked 34th on Kadima's list for the 2009 elections, he failed to win a seat, but entered the Knesset on 3 May 2012 as a replacement for

Tzipi Livni Tziporah Malka "Tzipi" Livni ( he, ציפי (ציפורה) מלכה לבני, ; born 8 July 1958) is an Israeli politician, diplomat, and lawyer. A former member of the Knesset and leader in the center-left political camp, Livni is a former fore ...

, who had resigned her seat after losing the party's

leadership election A leadership election is a political contest held in various countries by which the members of a political party determine who will be the leader of their party. Generally, any political party can determine its own rules governing how and when a l ...

Shaul Mofaz Shaul Mofaz ( he, שאול מופז; 4 November 1948) is a retired Israeli military officer and politician. He joined the Israel Defense Forces in 1966 and served in the Paratroopers Brigade. He fought in the Six-Day War, Yom Kippur War, 1982 Le ...

. Placed sixth on the Kadima list for the 2013 elections,Kadima
Central Elections Committee he lost his seat when the party was reduced to two MKs. However, he returned to the Knesset on 18 December 2014 following

Yisrael Hasson Yisrael Hasson ( he, ישראל חסון, born 27 April 1955) is an Israeli politician and former Deputy Director of Shin Bet. He served as a member of the Knesset for Yisrael Beiteinu and Kadima between 2006 and 2014, before becoming Chairman of ...

's resignation and other resignations from the party list. The party did not contest the 2015 elections, resulting in Zellner losing his seat.

Personal life

Zellner was married to reality TV star Dafna Shahar and they have one daughter.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zellner, Yuval 1978 births People from Ramat HaSharon Hebrew University of Jerusalem Faculty of Law alumni Tel Aviv University alumni Reichman University alumni Israeli civil servants Kadima politicians Living people Members of the 18th Knesset (2009–2013) Members of the 19th Knesset (2013–2015)