Zehava Galon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Zehava Galon
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| זהבה גלאון | |
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Zehava Galon in 2020
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| Faction represented in the Knesset | |
| 1999–2009 | Meretz |
| 2011–2017 | Meretz |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Zlata Shnipitskaya
4 January 1956 Vilnius, Lithuanian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Spouse | Pesach |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Beit Berl College |
Zehava Galon (Hebrew: זהבה גלאון; born on January 4, 1956) is an Israeli politician. She leads a research group called ZULAT for Equality and Human Rights. She also used to be the leader of the Meretz political party.
Galon served as a member of the Knesset, which is Israel's parliament, from 1999 to 2017. She ran as the leader of Meretz in the 2022 Israeli legislative election. However, her party did not get enough votes to enter the Knesset that year.
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Who is Zehava Galon?
Zehava Galon was born in 1956 in Vilnius. This city was part of the Soviet Union at the time, but it is now in Lithuania. When she was four years old, in 1960, she moved to Israel with her parents. Moving to Israel is called "aliyah."
Her father, Aryeh, worked as a plumber. Her mother, Yaffa, was a teacher. When they first arrived, they lived in a temporary camp called a "ma'abara." Later, they moved to a housing project in Petah Tikva.
Galon's Education and Military Service
During her time in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Galon worked as a clerk. She was part of the Paratroopers Brigade.
She studied special education at Beit Berl College. She also earned a master's degree in the philosophy of education from the Hebrew University. She started studying gender studies at Bar-Ilan University, but she did not finish her final research paper.
Galon's Family Life
Zehava Galon is married to Pesah. They have two sons, Yiftah and Nadav. She also has six grandchildren. She still lives in Petah Tikva, the city where her family settled after moving to Israel.
Zehava Galon's Political Journey
Galon started her political work in the 1980s. She led a successful effort against religious rules in Petah Tikva. She also served as the secretary general of the Ratz party.
She helped start and became the first leader of B'Tselem. This group provides information about human rights in areas controlled by Israel. In the 1990s, Galon was one of the co-secretaries general for the Meretz party. Later, she led the International Center for Peace in the Middle East (ICPME) in Tel Aviv.
Joining the Knesset: 1999-2017
Galon first tried to enter the Knesset in 1996. She was 11th on the Meretz party list, but the party only won nine seats. In 1999, she was elected to the Knesset. She was known as a very active and respected member of parliament.
For ten years, she led the Meretz group in the Knesset. She was also part of important committees, like the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and the Finance Committee. Galon also started and led a special committee for seven years. This committee looked into the issue of trafficking of women.
Views on Israeli Laws
In 2007, Galon tried to become the leader of Meretz. She believed the party needed to focus more on human rights and civil liberties. She wanted Meretz to make sure that democracy and equality were strong in Israel. She lost that election to Haim Oron.
In 2009, Galon lost her seat in the Knesset when Meretz won fewer seats. She thought this happened because the party was not clear enough about its views on Israel's military actions. In March 2011, she returned to the Knesset after Haim Oron retired.
Leading the Meretz Party
On February 7, 2012, Galon was elected as the leader of the Meretz party. She won with more than 60% of the votes in the party's primary election. In the 2013 elections, Meretz doubled its number of seats from three to six.
Before the 2015 election, Galon said she would resign if the party only won four seats. When it looked like Meretz would lose a seat, she announced she would step down. This would have allowed another candidate, Tamar Zandberg, to take her place. However, after all the votes were counted, Meretz won a fifth seat.
With this success, Galon decided to stay on as party leader. She said that young people and soldiers helped Meretz keep its strength. In October 2017, Galon resigned from the Knesset but remained the leader of Meretz for a while. Mossi Raz took her seat in parliament.
After the Knesset: 2020 and Beyond
In 2020, Galon started a group called Zulat for Equality and Human Rights. This is a non-governmental organization (NGO). She is the president of this organization.
After leaving parliament, Galon also started writing regularly for the Haaretz newspaper.
In July 2022, Galon decided to return to politics. She ran for the leadership of Meretz again and won. She led Meretz into the November 2022 election. However, the party did not get enough votes to enter the Knesset. On November 17, 2022, Galon announced she would resign as party leader.
See also
In Spanish: Zehava Gal-On para niños
