| Avraham Yosef Shapira | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | 2 March 1921 |
| Place of birth | Romania |
| Year of aliyah | 1949 |
| Date of death | 26 June 2000 (aged 79) |
| Knessets | 10, 11, 13 |
| Party | Agudat Yisrael (1981-1988, 1996) |
| Former parties | United Torah Judaism (1992-1996) |
Avraham Yosef Shapira (Hebrew: אברהם יוסף שפירא, born 2 March 1921, died 26 June 2000) was an Israeli politician and businessman.
Born in Romania in 1921, Shapira attended the Kokhav MeYa'akov yeshiva in Trzebinia, and was later certified as a teacher. He made aliyah to Israel in 1949. He began working with his father, a furrier. In 1959 he bought a carpet factory, Carmel Carpets, in Or Akiva. At its peak the business employed 1,600 employees and had an annual turnover of $65 million.[1]
He joined Agudat Yisrael, and became chairman of its Tel Aviv branch. He was elected to the Knesser on the party's list in 1981 and became chairman of the governing coalition. and was re-elected in 1984, after which he chaired the Finance Committee. He also served as chairman of the Bank of Israel's steering committee.[2]
With a strong influence on the country's financial state, it was rumoured that Shapira had used state funds for his carpet business. He helped ensure a monopoly for his company's products in Israel, but was later charged with embezzling money from the company to buy a villa in Caesarea,[1] and the company was liquidated in 1995 after money from the government was withheld.[1]
He lost his seat in the 1988 elections, but returned to the Knesset in 1992 (by which time the party had formed the United Torah Judaism alliance with Degel HaTorah). He lost his seat again in the 1996 elections.
He died in 2000 at the age of 79.