| Meir Porush | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | 11 June 1955 |
| Place of birth | Jerusalem, Israel |
| Knessets | 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 |
| Party | United Torah Judaism |
Rabbi Meir Porush (Hebrew: מאיר פרוש, born 11 June 1955) is an Israeli politician and a former member of the Knesset for the ultra-Orthodox Agudat Yisrael faction of United Torah Judaism.
Born in Jerusalem, his father Rabbi Menachem Porush (1916–2010) was one of the longest serving Knesset members. Meir was educated in a yeshiva. Before entering the Knesset, he served as a member of Jerusalem City Council for thirteen years, and was at one stage deputy mayor of Jerusalem.
He was first elected to the Knesset in the 1996 elections as an Agudat Yisrael candidate on the United Torah Judaism list, and was appointed Deputy Minister of Housing in Binyamin Netanyahu's government.
He retained his seat in the 1999 elections and chaired the Knesset inquiry into financial problems of local councils. After Ariel Sharon won a special election for Prime Minister in 2001 he was appointed Deputy Minister of Housing and Construction.
He retained his seat in both the 2003 and 2006 elections, but has not served in the cabinet since 2003. In 2005 he caused controversy by saying that then PM Ariel Sharon reminded him of Benito Mussolini.[1] He has also called for Israel to give up its nuclear weapons.[2]
Porush ran for Mayor of Jerusalem in 2008, but lost the election to secular politician Nir Barkat, by 50% to 42%.[3] He retained his Knesset seat in the 2009 elections, and was appointed Deputy Minister of Education. However, he resigned on 6 February 2011 as part of a seat rotation agreement.[4]
Porush lives in Jerusalem with his wife and twelve children.