Omer Yankelevich

{{Infobox officeholder

| image = Omer Yankelevitch.jpg

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1978|5|25|df=y}}

| birth_place = Tel Aviv, Israel

| death_date =

| death_place =

| office1 = Ministerial roles

| suboffice1 = Minister of Diaspora Affairs

| subterm1 = 2020–2021

| office2 = Faction represented in the Knesset

| suboffice2 = Blue and White

| subterm2 = 2019–2021

| native_name = {{No bold|{{Script/Hebrew|עומר ינקלביץ'}}}}

| native_name_lang = he

}}

Omer Shina Yankelevich ({{langx|he|עומר שינה ינקלביץ'}}; born 25 May 1978) is an Israeli attorney, educator, social activist, and politician. She was the Minister of Diaspora Affairs and was a Member of the Knesset for the Blue and White from 2019 to 2021. She is a co-founder of the "Just Begun Foundation", which sponsors social initiatives to help integrate peripheral and marginalized populations in Israel, with an emphasis on the Haredi sector. In 2019, she joined the Israel Resilience Party, which is part of the Blue and White political alliance, and was placed #23 on the faction's list for the April 2019 Knesset election. The Blue and White alliance gained 35 seats in the election, resulting in Yankelevich becoming a Member of the Knesset. She was subsequently elected to the Knesset as part of the Blue and White alliance in the September 2019 and March 2020 elections. In the national unity government which comprised the thirty-fifth government of Israel, Yankelevich was named Minister of Diaspora Affairs, becoming the first-ever Haredi woman cabinet minister.

Early life and education

Omer Galinsky was born on 25 May 1978{{cite web |url=https://www.knesset.gov.il/mk/eng/mk_eng.asp?mk_individual_id_t=1012|title=Omer Yankelevich, Blue and White|year=2019|access-date=22 May 2019|publisher=The Knesset}} to a secular family in Tel Aviv. She was named for her birthdate on the Jewish calendar, which coincided that year with the Jewish holiday of Lag BaOmer.{{cite web |url=https://www.eti-ka.co.il/על-אמנות-ואמונה-ראיון-עם-עוד-עומר-ינקל/ |title= על אמנות, אמונה ופוליטיקה |language=he|trans-title=On Art, Faith, and Politics|first=Etti|last=Suissa Ben-Ami|date=February 15, 2019|access-date=April 24, 2019|publisher=eti-ka.co.il}}{{cite web |url= https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/israel-news/1679485/israeli-resilience-party-places-a-chareidi-woman-in-a-realistic-slot.html|title=New Israeli 'Resilience Party' Places Chareidi Woman in a Realistic Slot In Its Lineup|date=February 15, 2019|access-date=April 24, 2019|work=Yeshiva World News}} She has one younger brother. Her father, Yaakov (Yasha) Galinsky, a native of Lithuania, was an actor in the Habima Theatre, and later became a baal teshuva. Her mother was born in Latvia. During her youth, her parents volunteered in the Jewish communities in the Soviet Union, and at age 16, she taught Hebrew and Judaism in Russia and Ukraine.{{cite web|url=http://actualic.co.il/%D7%A0%D7%A2%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%9C%D7%94%D7%9B%D7%99%D7%A8-%D7%A2%D7%95%D7%9E%D7%A8-%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%A7%D7%9C%D7%91%D7%99%D7%A5/|title=נעים להכיר // עומר ינקלביץ|language=he|trans-title=Nice to Meet: Omer Yankelevich|first=Smadar|last=Bentov|date=August 22, 2018|access-date=April 24, 2019|publisher=actualic.co.il|archive-date=October 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021192427/http://actualic.co.il/%D7%A0%D7%A2%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%9C%D7%94%D7%9B%D7%99%D7%A8-%D7%A2%D7%95%D7%9E%D7%A8-%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%A7%D7%9C%D7%91%D7%99%D7%A5/|url-status=dead}}

She attended Bais Yaakov for her elementary schooling, and went on to attend the Rabbi Wolf Teachers Seminary in Bnei Brak. She received a teaching certificate at the Gateshead seminary for women and completed additional courses at the Shecheransky Seminary in Tel Aviv. Later, she took English teaching courses at the University of Cambridge.{{cite web |url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/whos-afraid-of-a-haredi-diaspora-affairs-minister-627738|title=Gantz appoints haredi woman as diaspora affairs minister|first=Gil|last=Hoffman|date=May 14, 2020|access-date=May 16, 2020|work=The Jerusalem Post}} She graduated from Ono Academic College with a bachelor's of law (LL.B) with honors, and from Bar-Ilan University with a master's in law (LL.M) with distinction.

Career

She has practiced law since 2007. After passing the Bar, she worked as a legal assistant to a judge in the Jerusalem District Court for 13 years. She then became Chief of Staff of the Ministry for Social Equity. In her legal practice, she specializes in government relations and copyright.

Yankelevich has taught at the Takhkemoni School in Rehovot and the Bat-Zion high school in Jerusalem.

Yankelevich is a co-founder of the "Just Begun Foundation" ({{langx|he| קרן רק התחלנו}}), which sponsors social initiatives to help integrate peripheral and marginalized populations, with an emphasis on the Haredi sector.{{cite web |url=https://www.jpost.com/Israel-Elections/Israel-Resilience-announces-official-candidates-for-national-elections-580687|title=Israel Resilience announces official candidates for national elections|work=The Jerusalem Post|date=February 14, 2019|access-date=April 24, 2019}} Among the group's initiatives are the opening of an art gallery showcasing Haredi artists in a Tel Aviv flea market, and projects in theatre, film, media, and plastics and visual arts. Yankelevich has defended the Haredi population against the Israel Women's Network and other liberal feminist groups that vilify it for its enactment of gender separation in institutes of higher learning and at public events.{{cite web |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/elections/.premium-from-martial-arts-champ-to-love-hormone-expert-new-faces-in-the-israeli-election-1.6976010|title= From a 'Love Hormone' Expert to a Martial Arts Champ: Meet the New Faces in the 2019 Election Race|first=Allison Kaplan|last=Sommer|date=March 3, 2019|access-date=April 24, 2019|work=Haaretz}}{{cite web |url=https://www.kikar.co.il/307493.html|title=תנו לעומר ינקלביץ' את הצ'אנס|language=he|trans-title=Give Omer Yankelevich the Chance|first=Yaarit|last=Elbaz|date=February 18, 2019|access-date=April 24, 2019|work=Kikar HaShabbat}}

Political career

In 2019, Yankelevich was chosen by Benny Gantz to be a member of his Israel Resilience Party, which was part of the Blue and White political alliance for the April 2019 Israeli legislative election. She was placed #23 on the faction's list.{{cite web |url=https://bechirot21.bechirot.gov.il/election/Candidates/Pages/OneListCandidates.aspx?LPF=Search&WebId=6adadc15-e476-480b-9746-04490aedeb0f&ListID=ba72a662-765c-45af-9d48-fb68080956af&ItemID=91&FieldID=ListNickname_GxS_Text |title= כחול לבן בראשות בני גנץ ויאיר לפיד|language=he|trans-title=Blue and White under the leadership of Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid|publisher=Israel Central Elections Committee|year=2019|access-date=April 24, 2019}}{{cite web |url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/259402 |title=Lapid-Gantz-Ya'alon list: 'Blue and White'|work=Israel National News|date=February 21, 2019|access-date=April 24, 2019}} Her appointment was seen as an attempt by Gantz to present the party's political orientation as centrist, rather than left, although her presence was not expected to pull in Haredi votes.

With the Blue and White alliance gaining 35 seats in the election,{{cite web|url=https://votes21.bechirot.gov.il/|title=תוצאות האמת של הבחירות לכנסת ה-21|language=he|trans-title=Actual Results of the Elections for the 21st Knesset|publisher=Israel Central Elections Committee|date=April 9, 2019|access-date=April 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190927031952/https://votes21.bechirot.gov.il/|archive-date=September 27, 2019|url-status=dead}} Yankelevich became a Member of the Knesset.{{cite news |url= https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5492343,00.html |title=21st Knesset: More ultra-Orthodox, fewer women|first=Dror|last=Liba|date=April 10, 2019|access-date=April 24, 2019|work=Ynetnews}}

In the national unity government of the thirty-fifth government of Israel, Gantz appointed Yankelevich to serve as Minister of Diaspora Affairs, thus becoming the first-ever Haredi woman cabinet minister.{{cite web |url=https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/280262|title=Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz appoints first ever female haredi minister|first=Michal|last=Levy|date=May 14, 2020|access-date=May 16, 2020|work=Israel National News}} She did not run for re-election in the 2021 elections.

Yankelevich sponsored a Knesset bill to require consultation with Diaspora on matters regarding world Jewry.[https://www.jns.org/knesset-bill-to-require-consultation-with-diaspora-on-matters-regarding-greater-jewish-people/ Knesset bill to require consultation with Diaspora on matters regarding world Jewry], Jerusalem Post, October 27, 2020 During the COVID-19 pandemic, she led a rule change in Israel's entry policy, to allow visits of families of new immigrants.[https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/diaspora-minister-pushes-rule-change-for-parents-of-pregnant-women-665053 Diaspora Minister pushes rule change for parents of pregnant women], Jerusalem Post, April 13, 2021

Personal life

Yankelevich is a Haredi Jew. She and her husband, Yaron, have five children, and reside in Beit Shemesh. She speaks Hebrew, English, Russian and basic Yiddish.{{cite web|url=http://idealist.anu.org.il/profile-page/37/#more|title=עו"ד עומר ינקלביץ|language=he|trans-title=Attorney Omer Yankelevich|publisher=Idealist|access-date=April 24, 2019|archive-date=June 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200609062425/http://idealist.anu.org.il/profile-page/37/#more|url-status=dead}}

She is involved in strategy consulting and public relations as well as counseling leaders in geopolitical matters.

References

External links

{{MKlink|id=1012}}
Amy Spiro, [https://jewishinsider.com/2020/11/omer-yankelevitch-diaspora-israel/ Israeli Diaspora Minister Omer Yankelevitch is up for a challenge], November 17, 2020

Category:1978 births

Category:Living people

Category:21st-century Israeli women politicians

Category:Bar-Ilan University alumni

Category:Blue and White (political alliance) politicians

Category:Haredi politicians

Category:Government ministers of Israel

Category:Israel Resilience Party politicians

Category:Israeli Haredim

Category:Israeli people of Latvian-Jewish descent

Category:Israeli people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent

Category:Israeli women activists