Yuval Zellner (; born 2 March 1978) is an Israeli politician. He 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 2012 and 2013, and again from 2014 until 2015. He currently serves as a member of the

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

city council.

Biography

Born in

Ramat HaSharon Ramat HaSharon (, ) is an affluent city located on Israel's central coastal strip in the south of the Sharon, Israel, Sharon region, bordering the cities of Tel Aviv to the south, Hod HaSharon, Hod-HaSharon to the east, and Herzliya and kibbutz ...

, Zellner served in the Paratroopers Recon branch of the

Paratroopers Brigade The 35th Paratroopers Brigade (, ''Hativat HaTzanhanim'') is an Israeli military airborne infantry brigade. It is a selective unit, which accepts new recruits following physical tryouts and interviews, and consists of volunteers. It forms a m ...

and was seriously wounded 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 ...

. Between 1999 and 2003 he studied law 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. ...

, earning an LLB as well as simultaneously studying for BA in political science at

Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv University (TAU) is a Public university, public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Located in northwest Tel Aviv, the university is the center of teaching and ...

. Between 2003 and 2007 he studied for an MA in political science at Tel Aviv University, and also gained an MBA from the

Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya Reichman University () is Israel's only private university, located in Herzliya, Tel Aviv District. It was founded in 1994 as the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya (IDC Herzliya, ) private college, before being rebranded in 2021. It receives no ...

in 2008. Zellner worked as an assistant to

Haim Ramon Haim Ramon (; born 10 April 1950) is an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset between 1983 and 2009, and as both Vice Prime Minister and Minister in the Prime Minister's Office with responsibility for state policy. Biography ...

during his time as Internal Affairs Minister, before becoming chief of staff in the Prime Minister's Office when

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 ...

was Prime Minister. As part of his role, Zellner led the preparations for the historic visit to Israel of

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

, along with retired IDF Chief of Staff Rafi Peledand then-Chief of Staff Yehuda Wilk The historic visit of Pope John Paul II in Israel

He later worked as CEO of the Economic Development Group in Ramat HaSharon until 2012.Yuval Zellner to replace Livni as Kadima MK
The Times of Israel, 2 May 2012 Previously a member of the Labor Party, Zellner joined Kadima in 2005. Ranked 34th on Kadima's list for the 2009 elections, he failed to win a seat, but entered the Knesset on 3 May 2012 as a replacement for

Tzipi Livni Tziporah Malka "Tzipi" Livni (, ; born 8 July 1958) is an Israeli politician, diplomat and lawyer. A former member of the Knesset and leader in the center-left political camp, Livni is a former Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel), foreign mini ...

, who had resigned her seat after losing the party's

leadership election A leadership election is a political contest held in various countries by which the members of a political party determine who will be the leader of their party. Generally, any political party can determine its own rules governing how and when a ...

Shaul Mofaz Shaul Mofaz (; 4 November 1948) is a retired Israeli military officer and politician. He joined the Israel Defense Forces in 1966 and served in the Paratroopers Brigade. He fought in the Six-Day War, Yom Kippur War, 1982 Lebanon War, and Operati ...

. Placed sixth on the Kadima list for the 2013 elections, he lost his seat when the party was reduced to two MKs. However, he returned to the Knesset on 18 December 2014 following

Yisrael Hasson Yisrael Hasson (; born 27 April 1955) is an Israeli politician and former Deputy Director of Shin Bet. He served as a member of the Knesset for Yisrael Beiteinu and Kadima between 2006 and 2014, before becoming Chairman of the Israel Antiquitie ...

's resignation and other resignations from the party list. The party did not contest the

2015 elections Africa * 2015 Beninese parliamentary election 26 April 2015 * 2015 Burkinabé general election 29 November 2015 * 2015 Burundian legislative election 29 June 2015 * 2015 Burundian presidential election 21 July 2015 * 2015-16 Central African gene ...

, resulting in Zellner losing his seat. Zellner ran for Mayor of

in the 2024 election as a member of New Hope. He came in third out of three candidates, winning 11% of the vote. Zellner also headed New Hope's list for the Tel Aviv city council, and was elected its sole councillor.

Personal life

Zellner was married to reality TV star Dafna Shahar and they have one daughter.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zellner, Yuval 1978 births People from Ramat HaSharon Hebrew University of Jerusalem Faculty of Law alumni Tel Aviv University alumni Reichman University alumni Israeli civil servants Kadima politicians Living people Members of the 18th Knesset (2009–2013) Members of the 19th Knesset (2013–2015)