Asaf Zamir ( he, אסף זמיר, born 31 August 1980) is an Israeli politician and diplomat. He served as Deputy Mayor of

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

from 2008 until 2013 and Acting Mayor in charge of education from 2013 to 2018. He was elected to 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 (with ...

in 2019, serving in two spells until 2021. He also held the post of

Minister of Tourism The Minister of Tourism is the head of the governmental department that specializes in tourism, recreation and/or culture. The position exists in many different countries under several names: * Ministry of Tourism and Environment (Albania) * Mini ...

from May to October 2020. He is currently Consul General in New York.

Biography

Zamir was born in Ganei Yehuda to Galia and Muki Zamir. His family lived in

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sou ...

in the United States for four years during his childhood. After they returned to Israel, he attended the A.D. Gordon school and Tichon Ironi Daled, and was a member of HaNoar HaOved VeHaLomed and the Hebrew Scouts. During his national service in the Israel Defense Forces he served in the central control unit of the

Israeli Air Force The Israeli Air Force (IAF; he, זְרוֹעַ הָאֲוִיר וְהֶחָלָל, Zroa HaAvir VeHahalal, tl, "Air and Space Arm", commonly known as , ''Kheil HaAvir'', "Air Corps") operates as the aerial warfare branch of the Israel Defense ...

. After graduating from

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 ...

with a law degree he interned with Naschitz Brandes Amir law firm and qualified as a lawyer. In the 2008 municipal elections he was elected to Tel Aviv city council as part of the Rov HaIr (''Majority of the City'') party that he co-founded. Mayor

Ron Huldai Ron Huldai ( he, רוֹן חוּלְדָּאִי; born 26 August 1944) is the current Mayor of Tel Aviv, since 1998. Before he entered his role as Tel Aviv mayor, Huldai served as a fighter pilot and a commander in the Israeli Air Force. Afte ...

subsequently appointed Zamir as his deputy, making him the youngest-ever person to hold such a post in Israel. He was re-elected in the

2013 elections The following elections were occurred in the year 2013. Asia * 2013 Armenian local elections 26 May, 17 November, and 8 December 2013 * 2013 Armenian presidential election 18 February 2013 * 2013 Bangladeshi presidential election 22 April 2013 ...

, after which he became acting mayor with responsibility for education. In the 2018 Tel Aviv mayoral election, Zamir challenged Huldai for the mayoralty, losing by a margin of 47–34%. Prior to the April 2019 elections he joined the

Israel Resilience Party The Israel Resilience Party ( he, חוסן לישראל, Hosen LeYisrael, Resilience for Israel), is a liberal political party in Israel founded in December 2018 by Benny Gantz, former Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces. ...

. After the party joined the Blue and White alliance, he was given the nineteenth slot on the joint list, and was subsequently elected to the Knesset as the alliance won 35 seats. He was re-elected in the September 2019 legislative election and March 2020 legislative election. In May 2020, he was appointed the

in the

thirty-fifth government of Israel The thirty-fifth government of Israel ( he, מֶמְשֶׁלֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל הַשְׁלוֹשִׁים וְחָמֵשׁ, Mem'shelet Yisra'el HaShloshim VeHamesh), or the Netanyahu–Gantz government, was the government of Israel which w ...

led by

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

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 ...

. He subsequently resigned from the Knesset under the

Norwegian Law Norwegian law may refer to: *Norwegian Law (Israel), a law on the appointment of ministers and membership of the Knesset *Law of Norway Law in Norway follows a Civil law (legal system), civil law system. The Supreme Court of Norway, Supreme Court ...

and was replaced by

Einav Kabla Einav Kabla ( he, עינב קאבלה, born 27 September 1979) is an Israeli lawyer and politician. She served as a member of the Knesset for the Blue and White (political alliance), Blue and White alliance. Biography Kabla earned a master's deg ...

. On 2 October 2020 he resigned from the government while criticizing

. He was not included in Blue and White's electoral list for the 2021 elections after his vote against a budget extension, which effectively caused the dissolution of the government. In October 2021 he was appointed Consul General in New York. Zamir is married to the actress

Maya Wertheimer Maya Wertheimer ( he, מאיה ורטהיימר; born 29 July 1990) is an Israeli actress, model and television presenter. Biography Maya Wertheimer was born in Kfar Vradim. She is the daughter of billionaire Eitan Wertheimer (son of Israeli indu ...

, a granddaughter of

Stef Wertheimer Stef Wertheimer ( he, זאב סטף ורטהיימר, born 16 July 1926) is an Israeli billionaire industrialist, investor, philanthropist and former politician. He was a Member of the Knesset, and is known for founding industrial parks in Israe ...

. His uncle

Yitzhak Zamir Yitzhak Zamir (Hebrew: יצחק זמיר) (born in Poland on April 15, 1931) is a professor of public law and Dean of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Faculty of Law, a former Attorney General of Israel, first Dean of the University of Haifa ...

was a judge in the Supreme Court.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zamir, Asaf 1980 births Living people Tel Aviv University alumni Israeli lawyers Israeli people of Polish-Jewish descent Members of the 21st Knesset (2019) Members of the 22nd Knesset (2019–2020) Israel Resilience Party politicians Blue and White (political alliance) politicians Members of the 23rd Knesset (2020–2021) Ministers of Tourism of Israel Jewish Israeli politicians Deputy Mayors of Tel Aviv-Yafo Israeli consuls