Ruhama Avraham

Ruhama Avraham Balila (Hebrew: רוחמה אברהם בלילא, born 29 January 1964) is an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Likud and Kadima between 2003 and 2013. She also held the positions of Depute minister of interior Minister of Tourism and Minister without Portfolio responsible for liaison with the Knesset and was incharge of the Israel's 60th Independence Day celebrations.

Biography

Avraham was born in Rishon LeZion in 1964. She has a B.A. in political science from Bar-Ilan University. and MBA from Peres Academic Center (specializing in Organizational Management and Human Resources).

Political Career

She began her political career as an assistant to Likud director-general Avigdor Lieberman in the early 1990s, and served as the bureau chief of stuff of the opposition leader and later prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Later, she served as an adviser to Lieberman, when he was Minister of National Infrastructures.

Likud Party

She was first elected to the Knesset in 2003, after winning 16th place on the Likud list. In her first term she served as a member of the Finance and Economics Committees, as well as of the Committees for the Advancement of the Status of Women and for Foreign Workers. In March 2005, she was appointed Deputy Minister of the Interior.

During her time as Acting Minister of the Interior, she first embarked on a municipal bonds program that was implemented in the cities of Ramla, Yehud, Eilat and Ra'anana.

On November 1, 2005, Galei Zahal Radio reported that Avraham and Deputy Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor Eli Aflalo are suspected of traveling to the United States in full funding and hosting of Agrexco in 2003. In August 2008, the case was closed due to lack of evidence.

Kadima Party

In 2005 she helped to found Kadima, and was re-elected on its list in 2006.

With the establishment of the 31st government of Israel headed by Ehud Olmert, Avraham was appointed as the Chair of the House Committee. She was the first to come out against the Arrangements Law in preparation for the 2007 budget which led to the cancellation of about a quarter of its sections and the distribution of its parts among the various committees, in contrast to previous years in which the Arrangements Law was approved as a single unit in the Finance Committee.

As part of a cabinet reshuffle in July 2007 she was appointed Minister without Portfolio responsible for liaison with the Knesset. In July 2008 she was appointed Minister of Tourism. As the Tourism Minister she canceled visas from the Ukraine, and opened a representative of the Ministry of Tourism in China. During her time, Israel crossed the 3 million turists line.

During the Eighteenth Knesset she served as Deputy Speaker of the Knesset, ,head of the small-medium businesses lobby, chairperson of food security lobby, and a member of the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee of the Knesset. During her tenure in the eighteenth Knesset she enacted a number of laws:

• The law of hot meal plan for schoolchildren, which led to approximately 250,000 pupils to a hot meal in schools.
• The National Council for Food Security Law, whose function is to examine a plan and to advise the government on how to deal with poverty in Israel.
• Amendment to the Value Added Tax Law, which states that in small and medium-sized businesses, VAT will be due on the day of payment for service and not on the day of service (together with Alex Miller).
• Amendment to the Tenant Rights Law in public housing, which regulates the distribution of rights in public housing in case of separation of spouses.
• Amendment to the Administration & Law Ordinance (Abolition of Law, Jurisdiction and Administration), which was initiated during the 17th Knesset with Avigdor Yitzhaki. The amendment states that an agreement or government decision, according to which the law, jurisdiction and administration of Israel, will not apply to a territory, will require the approval of the Knesset and will be brought to a referendum. The law also regulates the way to conduct a referendum.
• Amendment to the Computers Law that prohibits the editing and transfer of software that causes damage to a computer or computer material, even if there is no actual damage, if it was done in order to penetrate the computer, to perform actions that result in false information or output or to perform secret monitoring.

She retained her seat in the 2009 elections after being placed eighth on the Kadima list. In October 2012 she announced she would be resigning from politics.

After Politics

Between 2014 and 2016, Avraham served as an external director in the real estate company B. Yair. Since 2017, she has served as an external director at Minrav Co. and Canadian Skyline Co. She also gives a strategic consultant to companies and organizations.

Personal Life

She is divorce and a mother of two. She speaks Hebrew, Ladino and English. Lives in Petah Tikva.

External links

• Ruhama Avraham on the Knesset website
• "Ruhama Avraham". Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.