Yohanan Plesner (; born January 17, 1972) is an Israeli politician who served as a member of the

Knesset The Knesset ( , ) is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Israel. The Knesset passes all laws, elects the President of Israel, president and Prime Minister of Israel, prime minister, approves the Cabinet of Israel, cabinet, and supe ...

for

Kadima Kadima () 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 plan in August 2005, and was soon ...

between 2007 and 2013.

Life and career

Plesner was born in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, the son of Danish architect

Ulrik Plesner Ulrik Adolph Plesner, usually known as Ulrik Plesner (17 May 1861 in Vedersø – 22 November 1933 in Skagen) was an innovative Danish architect who designed in a National Romantic style at the beginning of the 20th century. He is remembered in p ...

and

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

i journalist and lecturer Tamar Liebes. The couple had married in

Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

, and had moved to London, where Ulrik was working as an architect. Yohanan inherited both Israeli and Danish citizenship through his parents (he renounced his Danish citizenship in 2009 as a condition for being allowed to remain a Knesset member). He has two sisters, Daniela and Maya. In 1972, when Yohanan was two months old, the family moved to Israel and settled in

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

, where his father opened an office and became a city architect. Plesner grew up in Jerusalem, and during his

national service National service is a system of compulsory or 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 ...

in the

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...

from 1989 to 1994, he served as an officer with the

Sayeret Matkal Sayeret Matkal () (formerly Unit 269 or Unit 262) (English: General Staff Reconnaissance Unit), is the special reconnaissance unit (''sayeret'') of Israel's General Staff (''matkal''). It is considered one of the premier special forces units of ...

commando unit. He went on to study at the prestigious Amirim Program of Excellence at the

Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; ) is an Israeli public university, public research university based in Jerusalem. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Chaim Weizmann in July 1918, the public university officially opened on 1 April 1925. ...

, where he gained a BA with distinction in

economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

. Plesner then spent several years in the business world, first as a consultant to major financial corporations in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

, and then as co-founder and manager of an international software company. He studied at the

John F. Kennedy School of Government The John F. Kennedy School of Government, commonly referred to as Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), is the school of public policy of Harvard University, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard Kennedy School offers master's de ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, where he earned an MPA in political economics and security studies, and spoke regularly on behalf of Israel. Upon his return to Israel, Plesner assumed the position of Head of Special Projects in the Prime Minister's Office under then Prime Minister

Ariel Sharon Ariel Sharon ( ; also known by his diminutive Arik, ; 26 February 192811 January 2014) was an Israeli general and politician who served as the prime minister of Israel from March 2001 until April 2006. Born in Kfar Malal in Mandatory Palestin ...

. When the Kadima Party was founded in early 2006, Plesner was appointed the first Secretary-General of the nascent party, and led the formation of its organizational infrastructure. Plesner lives in Hod HaSharon with his wife Shimrit and their three children Talia, Abigail and Dan. He also has two daughters, Michaela and Ayala, from a previous marriage to Matat, a lawyer.

Member of the Knesset from 2007 to 2013

Plesner became a member of Knesset in 2007. During his time in the legislature, Plesner spoke out on issues ranging from national security and electoral reform to preservation of the environment and excellence in education. The Knesset Ethics Committee censured Plesner in 2011 for making “insulting and harmful comments that are not connected to political stances and public life, but rather an MK’s personal life.” Plesner, during a

Haneen Zoabi Haneen Zoabi (, ; born 23 May 1969), is a Palestinian-Israeli politician. The first Arab woman to be elected to the legislature on an Arab party's list, she served as a member of the Knesset for the Balad party between 2009 and 2019. In 202 ...

speech on the

Gaza Flotilla Gaza flotilla or Gaza Flotilla may refer to: * Gaza Freedom Flotilla, 2010 aid flotilla from Cyprus to Palestine ** List of participants of the Gaza flotilla ** Gaza flotilla raid Ships of Gaza flotilla raid, Six civilian ships of the Ga ...

, said of Zoabi, “Go to Gaza for a week and see what happens to you, a single 38-year-old woman.” Plesner was, in 2012, Deputy Chairman of the Kadima Faction and a member of both the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee and of the Defense and Foreign Relations Committee. He was also founder of the European Forum of the Knesset, a parliamentary group dedicated to improving relations between the Knesset and European legislators, and chaired the Knesset's permanent delegation to the Council of Europe. Placed third on the Kadima list for the 2013 elections, he lost his seat when the party was reduced to two MKs.

Post-Knesset career

In 2014, Plesner was appointed President of the

Israel Democracy Institute The Israel Democracy Institute (IDI; ), established in 1991, is an independent research center that defines itself as being dedicated to strengthening the foundations of Israeli democracy. It is based in Jerusalem. History The Israel Democracy ...

, replacing Dr. Arye Carmon upon his retirement.

Plesner Committee

In 2012, Plesner chaired the Keshev committee, though widely known as the Plesner Committee, for revision in

Haredi Haredi Judaism (, ) is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that is characterized by its strict interpretation of religious sources and its accepted (Jewish law) and traditions, in opposition to more accommodating values and practices. Its members are ...

conscripting policy for the replacement of the Tal Law which was set to lapse on 1 August 2012. The committee was dissolved by Prime Minister

Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin Netanyahu (born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who has served as the prime minister of Israel since 2022, having previously held the office from 1996 to 1999 and from 2009 to 2021. Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime min ...

due to disagreements between coalition parties, yet Plesner publicized the recommendations which included aggressive draft goals, as well as criminal charges, fines, or loss of benefits for draft dodgers under the plan.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Plesner, Yohanan 1972 births Israeli people of Danish descent Danish emigrants to Israel Israeli people of German-Jewish descent Israeli people of Latvian-Jewish descent Israeli people of Danish-Jewish descent Hebrew University of Jerusalem alumni Harvard Kennedy School alumni Living people Kadima politicians Members of the 17th Knesset (2006–2009) Members of the 18th Knesset (2009–2013)