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{{Short description|Israeli politician}}
{{Infobox member of the Knesset
{{Infobox officeholder
| image=
| image= Shlomo_Benizri.jpg
| caption = Shlomo Benizri in 1996
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1961|2|7|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[HaifaNesher]], [[Israel]]
| Year of Aliyah =
| death_date =
 
| Knesset(s) = [[Israeli legislative election, 1992|13]], [[Israeli legislative election, 1996|14]], [[Israeli legislative election, 1999|15]], [[Israeli legislative election, 2003|16]], [[Israeli legislative election, 2006|17]]
| office1 = Ministerial roles
| party1 = [[Shas]]
| minister1suboffice1 = [[Health Minister of Israel|Minister of Health]]
| partyyears = 1992–2008
| ministeryears1subterm1 = 1999–2000
| minister1 = [[Health Minister of Israel|Minister of Health]]
| minister2suboffice2 = {{nowrap|[[Welfare and Social Services Minister of Israel|Minister of Labor & Social Welfare]]}}
| ministeryears1 = 1999–2000
| ministeryears2subterm2 = 2001–2002
| minister2 = {{nowrap|[[Welfare and Social Services Minister of Israel|Minister of Labor & Social Welfare]]}}
| minister3suboffice3 = [[Welfare and Social Services Minister of Israel|Minister of Labor & Social Welfare]]
| ministeryears2 = 2001–2002
| ministeryears3subterm3 = 2002–2003
| minister3 = [[Welfare and Social Services Minister of Israel|Minister of Labor & Social Welfare]]
 
| ministeryears3 = 2002–2003
| office4=Faction represented in the [[Knesset]]
| party1suboffice4 = [[Shas]]
| partyyears subterm4= 1992–2008
}}
 
'''Shlomo Benizri''' ({{lang-he|שלמה בניזרי}}; born 7 February 1961) is an [[Israel]]iIsraeli politician and member of the [[Shas]] party. He represented Shas in the Knesset between 1992 and 2008, serving as Deputy Health Minister, [[Health Minister of Israel|Minister of Health]], and [[Welfare and Social Services Minister of Israel|Labor and Social Welfare Minister]] during the late 1990s and early 2000s. He was later convicted for accepting bribes, breach of trust, conspiring to commit a crime, and obstruction of justice, and served a prison sentence.<ref name="Haaretz1111613"/>
 
==Biography==
Shlomo Benizri was born in [[Nesher]]. He was one of eight children born to Maimon and Aliza Benizri. Growing up, he studied at elementary school in Nesher, a religious [[youth village]] in [[Kfar Hasidim]], and the Nesher Comprehensive High School. He did military service in the [[Israel Defense Forces]] and participated in the [[1982 Lebanon War]]. He then studied for ten years at Yeshivat Or HaChaim, a [[yeshiva]] in [[Jerusalem]], and was [[Semicha|ordained]] as a rabbi. He went on to teach at the yeshiva and serve as its spiritual director.
Born in [[Haifa]], Benizri attended the Nesher Comprehensive High School, before being [[Semicha|ordained]] as a rabbi at the ”Or Hachaim” Talmudic College in [[Jerusalem]]. He later was head of a Talmudic college and worked as a lecturer on Judaism.
 
Benizri lives in [[Jerusalem]] and is married with eight children.
 
==Political career==
HeBenizri was first elected to the Knesset in [[1992 Israeli legislative election, 1992|1992]] on Shas' list, and served as the party's parliamentary group chairman during his first term. He was re-elected in [[1996 Israeli legislative election, 1996|1996]], and was appointed Deputy [[Health Minister of Israel|Minister of Health]] in [[Binyamin Netanyahu]]'s government. He was re-elected again in [[1999 Israeli legislative election, 1999|1999]] after being placed fifth on the Shas list,<ref>[https://en.idi.org.il/media/6805/%D7%A9%D7%A1-15.pdf Shas list (1999)] Israel Democracy Institute</ref> and was appointed Minister of Health in [[Ehud Barak]]'s government, serving in the cabinet until Shas left the government on 11 July 2000.
 
He returned to the cabinet after [[Ariel Sharon]] formed a new government in 2001 as Labor and Social Welfare Minister, serving until the [[2003 Israeli legislative election, 2003|2003 elections]] (aside from a period of two weeks in May–June 2002 when Shas withdrew from the coalition).
He was first elected to the Knesset in [[Israeli legislative election, 1992|1992]] on Shas' list, and served as the party's parliamentary group chairman during his first term. He was re-elected in [[Israeli legislative election, 1996|1996]], and was appointed Deputy [[Health Minister of Israel|Minister of Health]] in [[Binyamin Netanyahu]]'s government. He was re-elected again in [[Israeli legislative election, 1999|1999]] after being placed fifth on the Shas list,<ref>[https://en.idi.org.il/media/6805/%D7%A9%D7%A1-15.pdf Shas list (1999)] Israel Democracy Institute</ref> and was appointed Minister of Health in [[Ehud Barak]]'s government, serving in the cabinet until Shas left the government on 11 July 2000.
 
For the [[2003 Israeli legislative election, 2003|2003 elections]], Benizri was placed second on the Shas list,<ref>[https://en.idi.org.il/media/6803/%D7%A9%D7%A1-16.pdf Shas list (2003)] Israel Democracy Institute</ref> and was re-elected. For the [[2006 Israeli legislative election, 2006|2006 elections]], he was dropped to sixth place.<ref>[httphttps://www.knesset.gov.il/elections17/eng/list/list_eng.asp?id=50 List of Candidates: Shas] Knesset website</ref>
He returned to the cabinet after [[Ariel Sharon]] formed a new government in 2001 as Labor and Social Welfare Minister, serving until the [[Israeli legislative election, 2003|2003 elections]] (aside from a period of two weeks in May–June 2002 when Shas withdrew from the coalition).
 
Although he retained his seat, on 29 March 2006, the day following the elections, he was charged by the State Prosecutor's Office with accepting bribes and breaching the public trust. The decision to indict Benizri after the elections had already taken place was a conscious decision on the part of the Israeli [[attorney general]] [[Menachem Mazuz]]. On 1 April 2008, Benizri was convicted of accepting bribes, breach of faith, obstructing justice, and conspiracy to commit a crime for accepting favors worth millions of shekels from his friend, [[general contractor|contractor]] Moshe Sela, in exchange for inside information regarding foreign workers scheduled to arrive in Israel.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1245184914505&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120526101738/http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1245184914505&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-05-26|title=Benizri jail term increased to 4 years term|author= Izenberg, Dan | date=2008-06-24|accessdate=2008-06-24|work=[[The Jerusalem Post]]}}</ref> On 27 April 2008, a district court sentenced him to 18 months in jail and decided that his actions amountqualified toas moral turpitude.<ref name="sentence">{{Cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3536430,00.html|title=Court sentences Shas MK Benizri to 18-month term|author=Zino, Aviram|date=2008-04-28|accessdate=2008-04-28|work=[[Ynetnews]]}}</ref><ref name="sentence-heb">{{Cite news|work=[[Ynet]]|date=2008-04-08|accessdate=2008-04-08|url=http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3536597,00.html|title=Benizri Will Go to Prison, Without "He is Innocent" Song|author=Sela, Neta|language=he}}</ref> He resigned from the Knesset the same day and was replaced by [[Mazor Bahaina]]. Both Benizri and the state appealed the decision. On 24 June 2009, the [[Supreme Court of Israel|Supreme Court]] upheld the decision and prolonged Benizri's jail time to 4 years.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3736114,00.html| title= Benizri's punishment extended: Will serve 4 years in prison| work=Ynetnews| date=2009-06-24 | language= Hebrew| accessdate=2012-01-12 }}</ref> Shas MK [[Nissim Ze'ev]] declared after the sentencing: “He is a victim of the system that allows his fate to be decided by elitist judges, who care about his sector and his race and not the good deeds he performs. I have no doubt that an American jury would have treated him better. That's why we need a jury of our peers”.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1245184921969&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull| title = Shas backs Benizri, Kadima distances itself from Hirchson |author1=Hoffman, Gil |author2=Stoil, Rebecca Anna |lastauthoramp=yes |date =2009-06-25 | work=The Jerusalem Post| accessdate=2012-01-12 }}</ref> And Benizri's brother, Rabbi David Benizri claimed that “a conspiracy of top-ranking homosexuals was behind the Supreme Court's decision to aggravate the sentence”.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3736322,00.html | title = Benizri's brother: Gay elite behind harsh sentence |author =Edelson, Daniel |date =2009-06-24| work=YNetnews| accessdate=2012-01-12 }}</ref> Benizri began serving his sentence on September 1, 2009 in the religious division of [[Maasiyahu Prison|Maasiyahu prison]] in [[Ramle]].<ref name="Haaretz1111613">{{cite web| url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1111613.html| date=2009-09-01| title=Rivlin on Hirchson, Benizri: This is a sad day for the Knesset| author=Ettinger, Yair, Lis, Jonathan and Azoulay, Yuval | work=Haaretz| accessdate=2012-01-12 }}</ref> His cellmate from December 7, 2011 to his release was former president [[Moshe Katsav]].
For the [[Israeli legislative election, 2003|2003 elections]] Benizri was placed second on the Shas list,<ref>[https://en.idi.org.il/media/6803/%D7%A9%D7%A1-16.pdf Shas list (2003)] Israel Democracy Institute</ref> and was re-elected. For the [[Israeli legislative election, 2006|2006 elections]] he was dropped to sixth place.<ref>[http://www.knesset.gov.il/elections17/eng/list/list_eng.asp?id=50 List of Candidates: Shas] Knesset website</ref>
 
==Conviction and prison term==
Although he retained his seat, on 29 March 2006, the day following the elections, he was charged by the State Prosecutor's Office with accepting bribes and breaching the public trust. The decision to indict Benizri after the elections had already taken place was a conscious decision on the part of the Israeli [[attorney general]] [[Menachem Mazuz]]. On 1 April 2008, Benizri was convicted of accepting bribes, breach of faith, obstructing justice, and conspiracy to commit a crime for accepting favors worth millions of shekels from his friend, [[general contractor|contractor]] Moshe Sela, in exchange for inside information regarding foreign workers scheduled to arrive in Israel.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1245184914505&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull|title=Benizri jail term increased to 4 years term|author= Izenberg, Dan | date=2008-06-24|accessdate=2008-06-24|work=[[The Jerusalem Post]]}}</ref> On 27 April 2008, a district court sentenced him to 18 months in jail and decided that his actions amount to moral turpitude.<ref name="sentence">{{Cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3536430,00.html|title=Court sentences Shas MK Benizri to 18-month term|author=Zino, Aviram|date=2008-04-28|accessdate=2008-04-28|work=[[Ynetnews]]}}</ref><ref name="sentence-heb">{{Cite news|work=[[Ynet]]|date=2008-04-08|accessdate=2008-04-08|url=http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3536597,00.html|title=Benizri Will Go to Prison, Without "He is Innocent" Song|author=Sela, Neta|language=he}}</ref> He resigned from the Knesset the same day and was replaced by [[Mazor Bahaina]]. Both Benizri and the state appealed the decision. On 24 June 2009, the [[Supreme Court of Israel|Supreme Court]] upheld the decision and prolonged Benizri's jail time to 4 years.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3736114,00.html| title= Benizri's punishment extended: Will serve 4 years in prison| work=Ynetnews| date=2009-06-24 | language= Hebrew| accessdate=2012-01-12 }}</ref> Shas MK [[Nissim Ze'ev]] declared after the sentencing: “He is a victim of the system that allows his fate to be decided by elitist judges, who care about his sector and his race and not the good deeds he performs. I have no doubt that an American jury would have treated him better. That's why we need a jury of our peers”.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1245184921969&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull| title = Shas backs Benizri, Kadima distances itself from Hirchson |author1=Hoffman, Gil |author2=Stoil, Rebecca Anna |lastauthoramp=yes |date =2009-06-25 | work=The Jerusalem Post| accessdate=2012-01-12 }}</ref> And Benizri's brother, Rabbi David Benizri claimed that “a conspiracy of top-ranking homosexuals was behind the Supreme Court's decision to aggravate the sentence”.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3736322,00.html | title = Benizri's brother: Gay elite behind harsh sentence |author =Edelson, Daniel |date =2009-06-24| work=YNetnews| accessdate=2012-01-12 }}</ref> Benizri began serving his sentence on September 1, 2009 in the religious division of [[Maasiyahu Prison|Maasiyahu prison]] in [[Ramle]].<ref name="Haaretz1111613">{{cite web| url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1111613.html| date=2009-09-01| title=Rivlin on Hirchson, Benizri: This is a sad day for the Knesset| author=Ettinger, Yair, Lis, Jonathan and Azoulay, Yuval | work=Haaretz| accessdate=2012-01-12 }}</ref> His cellmate from December 7, 2011 to his release was former president [[Moshe Katsav]].
Benizi resigned from the Knesset the same day and was replaced by [[Mazor Bahaina]]. Both Benizri and the state appealed. On 24 June 2009, the [[Supreme Court of Israel|Supreme Court]] upheld the decision and prolonged Benizri's jail time to 4 years.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3736114,00.html| title= Benizri's punishment extended: Will serve 4 years in prison| work=Ynetnews| date=2009-06-24 | language= Hebrew| accessdate=2012-01-12 | last1= גליקמן| first1= אביעד}}</ref> Shas MK [[Nissim Ze'ev]] declared after the sentencing: “He is a victim of the system that allows his fate to be decided by elitist judges, who care about his sector and his race and not the good deeds he performs. I have no doubt that an American jury would have treated him better. That's why we need a jury of our peers”.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1245184921969&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120709100434/http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1245184921969&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-07-09 |title=Shas backs Benizri, Kadima distances itself from Hirchson |author1=Hoffman, Gil |author2=Stoil, Rebecca Anna |name-list-style=amp |date=2009-06-25 |work=The Jerusalem Post |accessdate=2012-01-12 }}</ref> Benizri's brother, Rabbi David Benizri claimed that “a conspiracy of top-ranking homosexuals was behind the Supreme Court's decision to aggravate the sentence”.<ref>{{cite news|url = http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3736322,00.html | title = Benizri's brother: Gay elite behind harsh sentence |author =Edelson, Daniel |date =2009-06-24| work=YNetnews| accessdate=2012-01-12 }}</ref> Benizri began serving his sentence on September 1, 2009, in the religious division of [[Maasiyahu Prison|Maasiyahu prison]] in [[Ramle]].<ref name="Haaretz1111613">{{cite web| url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1111613.html| date=2009-09-01| title=Rivlin on Hirchson, Benizri: This is a sad day for the Knesset| author=Ettinger, Yair, Lis, Jonathan and Azoulay, Yuval | work=Haaretz| accessdate=2012-01-12 }}</ref> His cellmate from December 7, 2011, to his release was former president [[Moshe Katsav]].
 
In January 2012, a parole board reduced his sentence by 16 months due to good behavior, and set his release date for April. On March 1, 2012, Benizri was released early; he was one of 600 other prisoners whose sentences were commuted to ease overcrowingovercrowding in Israeli prisons.<ref>[http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/former-shas-minister-benizri-released-from-prison-1.415761 Former Shas minister Benizri released from prison] Haaretz, 1 March 2012</ref> As soon as he was released, he resumed delivering his ''[[shiurim]]''.<ref>{{Cite news|date=April 26, 2018|script-title=he:סלחתי, כדבריך |newspaper=[[Mishpacha]]|language=he|issue=1354|pages=14–15}}</ref>
 
==Views and opinions==
==Controversies==
In 1998, Benizri called for [[Dana International]] to be disqualified from the [[Eurovision Song Contest]], which she went on to win. He stated, "The Eurovision Song Contest interests me about as much as the weather in Antarctica, but as a son of the Jewish people, it [Dana International's transsexuality] offends me.",<ref name="dana">{{cite web |url url= http://www.jewcy.com/post/what_eurovision_teaches_us_about_israel |title title=What Eurovision Teaches Us About Israel | author = Shinefield, Mordechai |date date=2008-06-10 | work=Jewcy.com | accessdate=2012-01-12 | archive-date=2010-10-01 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101001142757/http://www.jewcy.com/post/what_eurovision_teaches_us_about_israel | url-status=dead }}</ref> and "Undergoing a sex change is worse than an act of sodomy ... choosing her is sending a message of darkness to the world."<ref>{{cite news |title=Eurovision: Transsexual singer stirs up passions |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1998/05/98/eurovision/90279.stm |accessdate=20 May 2019 |work=BBC News |date=10 May 1998}}</ref>
 
In 2001, he was accused of [[racism]] after he said, "I just don't understand why a restaurant needs a slant-eye to serve me my meal."<ref>{{cite news|last=Derfner |first=Larry |title=They serve, suffer and still root for us |date=2002-07-11 |work=The Jerusalem Post |url=http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/A/JPArticle/Full&cid=1025787760816 |archive-url=httphttps://archive.istoday/20030426020943/http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/A/JPArticle/Full&cid=1025787760816 |dead-url-status=yesdead |archive-date=2003-04-26 |accessdate=2012-01-13 }}</ref>
 
In 2004, during "[[The Passion of the Christ]]" controversy, when several Shas members wanted to have the film banned in Israel for [[Antianti-Semitism|antisemitism]], Benizri disagreed, and said that, "the Jews did kill Jesus", reportedly elaborating that Jesus was put to death according to [[Sanhedrin]] tradition: "They [the Jews] took him [Jesus] up to a high roof, and threw him crashing to the ground. Afterwards, they hung his body on wooden beams in the shape of a ‘T’'T', but not, as the Christian legends say, that he was crucified. That's nonsense." Benizri also claims that Jesus' death was an internal Jewish affair. "What is there to deny? We're talking about a yeshiva student who left Judaism, and the Sanhedrin put him to death."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/AntiSemi/3360.htm |work=[[israelinsider]] | title=Anti-Semitism: One Shas MK says ban "Passion", another says "Jews did kill Jesus" |accessdate=2008-06-30 |date=2004-02-26 |author=Shuman, Ellis |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080305005029/http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/AntiSemi/3360.htm |archivedate=2008-03-05 }}</ref>
 
In 2008, Benizri blamed several earthquakes in the region on Israel's tolerance of homosexuality.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7255657.stm| title= Israeli MP blames quakes on gays| date= 2008-02-20 | work= BBC News| accessdate=2012-01-12 }}</ref>
 
==See also==
*[[Politics in Israel]]
*[[List of Israeli public officials convicted of crimes]]
 
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[[Category:Israeli politicians convicted of corruption]]
[[Category:Israeli prisoners and detainees]]
[[Category:Members of the 13th Knesset (1992–961992–1996)]]
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[[Category:Rabbinic members of the Knesset]]
[[Category:Israeli politiciansRabbis convicted of crimes]]
[[Category:Sephardic Haredi rabbis in Israel]]
[[Category:Shas politicians]]
[[Category:Israeli politicians convicted of crimes]]