Yaakov Litzman
| Yaakov Litzman | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Date of birth | 2 September 1948 |
| Place of birth | Germany |
| Year of aliyah | 1965 |
| Knessets | 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 |
| Faction represented in Knesset | |
| 1999–2005 | United Torah Judaism |
| 2005–2006 | Agudat Yisrael |
| 2006–2008 | United Torah Judaism |
| 2008–2009 | Agudat Yisrael |
| 2009– | United Torah Judaism |
| Ministerial roles | |
| 2015 | Deputy Minister of Health |
| 2015– | Minister of Health |
Yaakov Litzman (Hebrew: יעקב ליצמן, born 2 September 1948) is an Israeli politician and Government Minister. A follower of the Ger Hasidic dynasty, he heads Agudat Yisrael, part of the United Torah Judaism alliance, in the Knesset and serves as Minister of Health.
Litzman was born in 1948 to Polish survivors of the Holocaust, in a displaced persons camp in Germany. When he was two years old, the family immigrated to the East New York section of Brooklyn, and then to the Borough Park section of Brooklyn, where he grew up. In 1966, at age 17, he immigrated to Israel and continued his Torah studies. His first job was as principal of the Hasidic Beis Yaakov girls' school in Jerusalem.
He later became active in politics under the guidance of the then-Gerrer Rebbe, Rabbi Simcha Binem Alter. Over time, he became known as the rebbe's right-hand man, a role he continues under the present Gerrer Rebbe, Rabbi Yaakov Arye Alter. In 1999, the present rebbe asked Litzman to join the Agudat Yisrael faction of the United Torah Judaism list for the Knesset elections that year. He was subsequently elected, and became Chairman of the Finance Committee. He headed the UTJ list for the 2003 elections, and was re-elected, again becoming the Chair of the Finance Committee. He has since served as the leader of the UTJ and Agudat Yisrael faction in the Knesset, in which he consults the Gerrer Rebbe on a daily basis.
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