Avshalom Vilan
| Avshalom Vilan | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Date of birth | 11 February 1951 |
| Place of birth | Negba, Israel |
| Knessets | 15, 16, 17 |
| Faction represented in Knesset | |
| 1999–2009 | Meretz |
Avshalom "Abu" Vilan (Hebrew: אבשלום "אבו" וילן, born 11 February 1951) is an Israeli politician and economist. He served as a Knesset member for Meretz between 1999 and 2009.
Born in kibbutz Negba in 1951, Vilan served in the IDF as a Master Sergeant in Sayeret Matkal, the General Staff Reconnaissance Unit alongside two individuals who would later become prime ministers of Israel: Ehud Barak and Benjamin Netanyahu.
Vilan studied Economics and Philosophy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem after his national service, gaining a BA. He worked as an economist and agriculturalist before becoming an emissary for HaShomer Hatzair and Kibbutz Artzi in 1993. Upon his return to Israel in 1996 he became secretary of Kibbutz Artzi, a role he remained in until 1999.
During his younger years, Vilan played for the Hatzor volleyball team in the national league.
Vilan had become involved in political activism in the 1970s and was a founding member of Peace Now in 1978. He joined the socialist Mapam, and eventually became party secretary in 1990. When Mapam merged with Ratz and Shinui to form Meretz in 1992, Vilan assumed membership of the new party.
...
Wikipedia