Sharren Haskel ( he, שָׁרֶן הַשְׂכֵּל, born 4 March 1984) is an Israeli politician. She is 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 the
National Unity Party The National Unity Party, National United Party, Party of National Unity or National Unity Front may refer to:
* National United Party of Afghanistan (founded 2003)
* National Unity Party (Albania)
* National United Party (Armenia), defunct
* Nati ...
, having previously served as a member of
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 ...
and for
New Hope. When she was first elected, she was the youngest member of Likud and the second youngest member of the
20th Knesset.
Biography
Sharren Haskel was born in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...
, to a Jewish family, the middle of three sisters. Her father, Amir, was born in Israel, and is from a family of
Palmach
The Palmach (Hebrew: , acronym for , ''Plugot Maḥatz'', "Strike Companies") was the elite fighting force of the Haganah, the underground army of the Yishuv (Jewish community) during the period of the British Mandate for Palestine. The Palmach ...
veterans from
moshav
A moshav ( he, מוֹשָׁב, plural ', lit. ''settlement, village'') is a type of Israeli town or settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists between 1904 ...
Tzofit
Tzofit ( he, צוֹפִית) is a moshav in central Israel. Located near Kfar Saba, it falls under the jurisdiction of Drom HaSharon Regional Council. In it had a population of .
History
Before the 20th century the area formed part of the Fore ...
. Her mother, Fabienne, was 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 A ...
. Amir and Fabienne met in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
and moved to Toronto, after Fabienne received a job offer as an English teacher. Her family
moved to Israel a year after her birth. She was raised in
Kfar Saba
Kfar Saba ( he, כְּפַר סָבָא), officially Kefar Sava, is a city in the Sharon region, of the Central District of Israel. In 2019 it had a population of 110,456, making it the 16th-largest city in Israel. The population of Kfar Saba ...
and studied theatre at Katznelson high school, where she was a leader in scouts, and later transferred to Ankori high school, where she studied Cinema. At the age of 18, Haskel enlisted in the
Israel Border Police
The Israel Border Police ( he, מִשְׁמַר הַגְּבוּל, Mišmar Ha-Gvul) is the gendarmerie and border security branch of the Israel National Police. It is also commonly known by its Hebrew abbreviation Magav (), meaning border g ...
. According to Haskel, the
Second Intifada
The Second Intifada ( ar, الانتفاضة الثانية, ; he, האינתיפאדה השנייה, ), also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada ( ar, انتفاضة الأقصى, label=none, '), was a major Palestinian uprising against Israel ...
, during which she served in the Border Police operating checkpoints and attending home demolitions and demonstrations, narrowly escaped two suicide bombings on Israeli buses, and lost two friends to terrorist attacks, helped shape her ideology.
After being discharged from the Border Police, Haskel studied for a year in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
, and then lived in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
for six years. She graduated from AVT Australia's program for
veterinary nursing.
Haskel completed her bachelor's degree in
political science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and ...
and
international relations
International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such ...
at the
Open University of Israel
The Open University of Israel ( he, האוניברסיטה הפתוחה, ''Ha-Universita ha-Ptuha'') is a distance-education university in Israel. It is one of ten public universities in Israel recognized by the Council of Higher Education (C ...
, where she was active in the debate team. In 2014, Haskel won the Israeli National Champion Debate for Juniors. She is also an alumnus of the Jewish Statesmanship Center in Public Policy.
She speaks English, Hebrew, and French.
Social activism
Haskel lived in Australia for six years where she worked as a veterinary nurse in Bondi Vet animal hospital, and volunteered most of her time to WIRES, an organization that rescue wild animals, treat them and release them back into the wild.
She is active on
environmental
A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scal ...
and
animal rights
Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding suffering—should be afforded the s ...
issues, with a particular focus on water pollution coming out of areas under the control of the
Palestinian Authority
The Palestinian National Authority (PA or PNA; ar, السلطة الوطنية الفلسطينية '), commonly known as the Palestinian Authority and officially the State of Palestine, .
Haskel supports de-criminalization of
cannabis
''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: '' Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternative ...
, and is an advocate for
medical cannabis
Medical cannabis, or medical marijuana (MMJ), is cannabis and cannabinoids that are prescribed by physicians for their patients. The use of cannabis as medicine has not been rigorously tested due to production and governmental restriction ...
usage.
Political career
In 2013, Haskel attempted to win a council seat in
Kfar Saba
Kfar Saba ( he, כְּפַר סָבָא), officially Kefar Sava, is a city in the Sharon region, of the Central District of Israel. In 2019 it had a population of 110,456, making it the 16th-largest city in Israel. The population of Kfar Saba ...
's local election. Although she lost, she continued to volunteer her time as an activist in the environmental committee at Kfar Saba city hall.
Prior to the
2015 Knesset elections she was placed 31st on the Likud list. Although she failed to enter the Knesset when Likud won 30 seats, she became an MK in 2015 as a replacement for
Danny Danon following his appointment as
Israel's envoy to the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...
on 14 August 2015.
Haskel heads the
LGBT
' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity.
The LGBT term ...
Knesset caucus, yet in 2016 she voted against the bills purporting to advance gay rights, proposed by
Zionist Union
The Zionist Union ( he, הַמַחֲנֶה הַצִיּוֹנִי, translit. ''HaMaḥaneh HaẒiyoni'', lit. ''the Zionist Camp'') was a centre-left political alliance in Israel. It was established in December 2014 by the Israeli Labor Par ...
and
Yesh Atid
Yesh Atid ( he, יֵשׁ עָתִיד, , There Is a Future) is a liberal political party in Israel. Founded by Yair Lapid in 2012, it seeks to represent what it considers the centre of Israeli society: the secular middle class. It focuses pri ...
: recognition of a bereaved widower in same sex couples, a bill banning conversion therapy attempting to convert gays to heterosexuals, a bill to recognize a
same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...
contract and a bill to train health professionals to deal with gender and sexual inclination issues.
On 15 December 2019, Haskel endorsed
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 ...
in the
primary
Primary or primaries may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels
* Primary (band), from Australia
* Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea
* Primary Music, Israeli record label
Works
...
for
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 ...
party leadership. On 23 December 2020 she announced that she would join Sa'ar's new party,
New Hope. She was placed fifth on the New Hope list for the March 2021 elections and was again elected to the Knesset as New Hope won six seats.
In the elections to the twenty-fifth Knesset, she was placed 11th in the
"state camp" list, the list received 12 mandates and was thus sworn into the Knesset for the fifth time.
A
classical liberal
Classical liberalism is a political tradition and a branch of liberalism that advocates free market and laissez-faire economics; civil liberties under the rule of law with especial emphasis on individual autonomy, limited government, econom ...
, Haskel is a spirited supporter of free markets and civil liberties. She was the legislature's primary proponent of cannabis legalization.
Awards and recognition
Sharren Haskel received high scores in 2016 and 2017 from the annual "Liberty Index", rating Members of Knesset based on how their legislative activity promotes or suppresses personal freedom and free markets, which is compiled by the New Liberal Movement (described by one of its founders as "much like the better goals of the Tea Party in the United States.") In May 2016 Haskel was recognized by the ''
Jewish Journal
''The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles'', known simply as the ''Jewish Journal'', is an independent, nonprofit community weekly newspaper serving the Jewish community of greater Los Angeles, published by TRIBE Media Corp. ''The Journal'' w ...
'' in the United States as a leader of new generation of women in politics, mainly for her extensive work around the world to defend Israel’s policy and government.
Committee assignments
Haskel served on these committees for the 20th Knesset:
*Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee
*Special committee for internal and environmental affairs
*Special Committee on Drugs and Alcohol Abuse
*Science and Technology Committee
Personal
She is married, and in 2020 she gave birth to her first child. In 2022, she gave birth to twin girls.
[ ]
See also
*
Women in Israel
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haskel, Sharren
1984 births
Living people
21st-century Israeli women politicians
Canadian emigrants to Israel
Canadian Jews
Canadian people of Israeli descent
Canadian people of Moroccan-Jewish descent
Israeli Jews
Israeli people of Canadian-Jewish descent
Israeli people of Moroccan-Jewish descent
Jewish Israeli politicians
Likud politicians
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–)
New Hope (Israel) politicians
Open University of Israel alumni
People from Kfar Saba
Politicians from Toronto
Women members of the Knesset
Women veterinarians
Jewish women politicians