Moshe Lion
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Moshe Lion, or Moshe Leon ( he, משה ליאון, born 6 October 1961), is an Israeli politician who is currently the
Mayor of Jerusalem The Mayor of the City of Jerusalem is head of the executive branch of the political system in Jerusalem. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property, most public agencies, and enforces all city and state laws within Jerusal ...
. He previously served as a member of the
Jerusalem City Council Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
, director-general of the Prime Minister's Office, Chairman of the
Israel Railways Israel Railways Ltd. , dba Israel Railways ( he, רַכֶּבֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל, ''Rakevet Yisra'el''), is the state-owned principal railway company responsible for all inter-city, commuter, and freight rail transport in Israel. Isra ...
, and head of the
Jerusalem Development Authority The Jerusalem Development Authority (), or JDA, is a joint agency of the Israeli government and the Jerusalem Municipality that works to promote and develop the economy of the city of Jerusalem. The Authority was founded by Uziel Wexler and was es ...
. Lion is the first mayor of Jerusalem of
Sephardi Sephardic (or Sephardi) Jews (, ; lad, Djudíos Sefardíes), also ''Sepharadim'' , Modern Hebrew: ''Sfaradim'', Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: Səp̄āraddîm, also , ''Ye'hude Sepharad'', lit. "The Jews of Spain", es, Judíos sefardíes (or ), ...
descent.


Early life

Moshe Lion was born in the Florentin neighborhood of Tel Aviv, Israel, and attended . His father's family comes from
Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...
, while his mother has roots in
Aden Aden ( ar, عدن ' Yemeni: ) is a city, and since 2015, the temporary capital of Yemen, near the eastern approach to the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aden), some east of the strait Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000 people. ...
. As a child, he moved with his family to
Givatayim Givatayim ( he, גִּבְעָתַיִים, lit. "two hills") is a city in Israel east of Tel Aviv. It is part of the metropolitan area known as Gush Dan. Givatayim was established in 1922 by pioneers of the Second Aliyah. In it had a population o ...
. Lion served in the
Israel Defence Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branch ...
, where he was assigned to the military chaplaincy and sang with the IDF rabbinical choir. He occasionally still leads
synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...
services. Lion graduated with a BA in economics and accounting from
Bar-Ilan University Bar-Ilan University (BIU, he, אוניברסיטת בר-אילן, ''Universitat Bar-Ilan'') is a public research university in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel. Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is Israel's second-largest academic i ...
, and interned in the office of
Avigdor Yitzhaki Avigdor Yitzhaki ( he, אביגדור יצחקי, born 13 September 1949) is an Israeli politician. He is a former member of the Knesset for Kadima, having been the party's parliamentary group chairman and head of the coalition. He is the chairman ...
, receiving his CPA in 1990. His brother, Dr. Nissim Lion, is a lecturer in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at
Bar-Ilan University Bar-Ilan University (BIU, he, אוניברסיטת בר-אילן, ''Universitat Bar-Ilan'') is a public research university in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel. Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is Israel's second-largest academic i ...
.


Professional career

In 1991, Lion founded Yitzhaki & Co., together with Avigdor Yitzhaki and two other partners. Among his clients was the
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 Sharon ...
movement, which he advised following their economic losses after losing the 1992 Knesset elections. He retired in 2017. In July 2014, he was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors of the
Mayanei Hayeshua Medical Center Mayanei Hayeshua Medical Center (MHMC) is a Haredi hospital in Bnei Brak, Israel. Initially focusing on maternity, it is now a general hospital. MHMC's affairs are managed in strict accordance with ''halakha'' (Jewish law). History Mayanei ...
in
Bnei Brak Bnei Brak or Bene Beraq ( he, בְּנֵי בְּרַק ) is a city located on the central Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean Israeli coastal plain, coastal plain in Israel, just east of Tel Aviv. A center of Haredi Judaism, Bnei Brak covers an are ...
.


Public career

In 1996, Lion was appointed managing director of the Prime Minister's Office of
Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu (; ; born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who served as the ninth prime minister of Israel from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 to 2021. He is currently serving as Leader of the Opposition and Chairman of ...
, also becoming his economic adviser, serving in those roles till 1999. From 2003-2006, he was appointed chairman of the
Israel Railways Israel Railways Ltd. , dba Israel Railways ( he, רַכֶּבֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל, ''Rakevet Yisra'el''), is the state-owned principal railway company responsible for all inter-city, commuter, and freight rail transport in Israel. Isra ...
after having previously worked with the Ports and Railways Authority. Lion finished his term in 2006, after his term was not extended. In 2008, he was appointed chairman of the
Jerusalem Development Authority The Jerusalem Development Authority (), or JDA, is a joint agency of the Israeli government and the Jerusalem Municipality that works to promote and develop the economy of the city of Jerusalem. The Authority was founded by Uziel Wexler and was es ...
. Under his tenure, the First Station train complex in Jerusalem was completed.


Political career

Lion was chosen to help negotiate the forming of a government coalition following the Israeli elections of 2013, in the aftermath of which the Likud and
Yisrael Beitenu Yisrael Beiteinu ( he, יִשְׂרָאֵל בֵּיתֵנוּ, russian: Наш Дом Израиль, lit. ''Israel Our Home'') is a secularist, nationalist right-wing political party in Israel. The party's base was originally secular Russia ...
parties joined together. In 2013, Lion ran for
Mayor of Jerusalem The Mayor of the City of Jerusalem is head of the executive branch of the political system in Jerusalem. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property, most public agencies, and enforces all city and state laws within Jerusal ...
, receiving 45% of the vote, but lost to incumbent mayor
Nir Barkat Nir Barkat ( he, נִיר בַּרְקָת; born 19 October 1959) is an Israeli businessman and politician. He served as mayor of Jerusalem between the years 2008–2018. Biography Nir Barkat was raised in Jerusalem. His father, Zalman, was a ...
. The Likud party under his leadership received one mandate, and he became a member of the
Jerusalem City Council Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
on its behalf. In August 2015, Lion joined the municipal coalition and the faction of Mayor Nir Barkat. As part of the coalition agreement signed between the two, he began to serve as a member of the city administration, and as the holder of the community management portfolio. On 25 March 2018, Lion announced his intention to run for Mayor of Jerusalem in the election scheduled for 30 October 2018. During the campaign, Lion stated that he opposed the Netanyahu government's plan, put forward by Jerusalem Affairs Minister and campaign challenger
Ze'ev Elkin Ze'ev Elkin ( he, זְאֵב אֵלְקִין; russian: Зеэв Элькин; born 3 April 1971) is an Israeli politician who currently serves as Minister of Jerusalem Affairs and Minister of Housing and Construction. He was previously a memb ...
, to erect a barrier dividing
East Jerusalem East Jerusalem (, ; , ) is the sector of Jerusalem that was held by Jordan during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, as opposed to the western sector of the city, West Jerusalem, which was held by Israel. Jerusalem was envisaged as a separat ...
from the rest of the city. Despite his broad
Haredi Haredi Judaism ( he, ', ; also spelled ''Charedi'' in English; plural ''Haredim'' or ''Charedim'') consists of groups within Orthodox Judaism that are characterized by their strict adherence to ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions, in oppos ...
political support, a coalition of
Hasidic Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of contem ...
and extremist-Haredi Jerusalem Faction leaders declined to endorse Lion, citing his close ties to government official
Avigdor Lieberman Avigdor Lieberman (, ; russian: Эве́т Льво́вич Ли́берман, Evet Lvovich Liberman, ; born 5 June 1958) is a Soviet-born Israeli politician serving as Minister of Finance since 2021, having previously served twice as Deputy ...
. Lieberman advanced legislation to draft Haredim into the army, making Lion more likely to "secularize" Jerusalem, according to the Hasidic coalition. In the six-candidate general election held on 30 October 2018, Lion garnered 33% of the vote, while fellow Jerusalem city councilman
Ofer Berkovitch Ofer Berkovitch ( he, עופר ברקוביץ'; July 7, 1983) is the founder and chairman of Jerusalem's “Hitorerut in Jerusalem” political movement, a member of the Jerusalem city council, and Hitorerut's 2018 candidate for Mayor of Jerusal ...
finished in second place, with 29%. This earned them spots in a run-off election scheduled two weeks later, because according to election laws, candidates in municipal races must gain at least 40% of the vote in order to win. On 13 November, Lion won the run-off election with 50.85% of the vote, to Berkovitch's 49.15%, thereby becoming the first mayor of Jerusalem of
Sephardi Sephardic (or Sephardi) Jews (, ; lad, Djudíos Sefardíes), also ''Sepharadim'' , Modern Hebrew: ''Sfaradim'', Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: Səp̄āraddîm, also , ''Ye'hude Sepharad'', lit. "The Jews of Spain", es, Judíos sefardíes (or ), ...
descent.


Personal life

Lion is married, with four children, and lives in Jerusalem's
Rehavia Rehavia or Rechavia ( he, רחביה, ar, رحافيا) is an upscale Jerusalem neighborhood located between the city center and Talbiya. Since its establishment in the 1920s, the area has always been associated with German-Jewish culture and tra ...
neighborhood.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lion, Moshe 1961 births Israeli accountants Israeli hazzans Israeli military chaplains Israeli Orthodox Jews Jewish Israeli politicians Mayors of Jerusalem Jewish mayors People from Givatayim Railway executives Israeli Sephardi Jews Living people Israeli people of Greek-Jewish descent Israeli people of Yemeni-Jewish descent Sephardi politicians City councillors of Jerusalem