ABUHATZEIRA, AHARON

(1938- )

Born in Morocco, he immigrated to Israel in 1949 and studied history andHebrewliterature atBar Ilan University. A teacher by profession, he served as mayor of Ramle from 1971 to 1977. He was first elected to theKnesseton theNational Religious Partylist in December 1973 and was reelected to the ninth Knesset on the same ticket in 1977. From June 1977 to August 1981, he served as minister ofreligious affairs. Following a split with the National Religious Party (based primarily on the party's alleged bias against Sephardim (seeORIENTAL JEWS), Abuhatzeira was elected to the 10th Knesset in 1981 as the head of theTamiParty list, and on 5 August 1981, he was sworn in as minister of labor and social welfare and minister of immigrant (see ALIYA) absorption. In 1984, he was again elected to the Knesset as the leader of the Tami Party. In 1988, he was elected to the Knesset on theLikudlist.