Ya'akov Asher

Ya'akov Asher
Date of birth	2 July 1965
Place of birth	Ramat Gan, Israel
Knessets	19
Faction represented in Knesset
2013–2015	United Torah Judaism

Ya'akov Asher (Hebrew: יַעֲקֹב אָשֵׁר; born 2 July 1965) is an Israeli rabbi and politician. A member of Degel HaTorah, he served as a member of the Knesset for the United Torah Judaism alliance between 2013 and 2015. He was previously the thirteenth mayor of Bnei Brak, having taken office in 2008.^[1]

Biography

Asher was born and raised in Ramat Gan and served in the IDF as a private. He became mayor of Bnei Brak in 2008, having already been involved with the city council for nineteen years.^[2] He became mayor in 2008 without an election, as there were no opposing candidates due to an agreement between Degel HaTorah and Agudat Yisrael to share the post of mayor on an alternating basis. He had previously run for mayor of El'ad, but lost to Tzuriel Krispel.

Prior to the 2013 Knesset elections he was placed seventh on the United Torah Judaism list, and entered the Knesset as the alliance won seven seats. His election to the Knesset meant he had to resign his mayoral position. He was placed seventh on the UTJ list again for the 2015 elections,^[3] but lost his seat when the alliance was reduced to six seats.

Asher is married with seven children.^[4]

References

1. No walk in the park in Bnei Brak - yet Haaretz, 26 January 2009
2. Ya'akov Asher promises "not to ask for 100 days of grace" MyNet, 23 November 2008 (Hebrew)
3. United Torah Judaism list Central Elections Committee
4. Meet the MK: Ya'acov Asher The Jerusalem Post, 10 February 2013

External links

• Ya'akov Asher on the Knesset website