The Honorable Dan Meridor

From 2009-2013: Dan Meridor was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Intelligence in the Israeli Government. From 2004-2006: Mr. Meridor was the Chairman of the Committee – appointed by the Minister of Defence – on Israel’s Defence Doctrine. The comprehensive report of Meridor’s Committee was submitted to the Government in 2006. 2003 – 2008: Dan Meridor served as Chairman of The Jerusalem Foundation. From 2006-2009: Mr. Meridor was Deputy Chairman of the Board of the INSS (Institute for National Security Studies). 2003-2006: Mr. Meridor was a Senior Fellow at Israel Democracy Institute.

From 2001-2003: Mr. Dan Meridor served as a Minister in the Israeli government, in charge of strategic affairs, and was a member of the Inner Cabinet. 1999-2001: Mr. Meridor served as the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee of the Knesset. From 1996-1997: Mr. Meridor was the Minister of Finance of Israel.  As Minister of Finance, Mr. Meridor initiated sweeping reforms in the economy through massive budget cuts, liberalization and privatization. 1988-1992: Dan Meridor was the Minister of Justice of Israel. He promoted human rights legislation, and Israel’s first (and so far – only) human rights constitutional laws were enacted during his term, creating the “constitutional revolution”, empowering the Supreme Court with judicial review over Knesset laws.  From 1982-1984: Mr. Meridor served as the Secretary of the Cabinet under Prime Minister Menahem Begin and Yitzhak Shamir.

In 1984 he was elected to the Knesset and he served as a Member of the Knesset in the years 1984-2003 and  2009-2013.  In the Knesset, Mr. Meridor served on the Committee of Foreign Affairs and Defence, the Committee of Constitution, Law & Justice and the Ethics Committee.

Mr. Meridor is a graduate of the Faculty of Law in the Hebrew University and practiced law in Jerusalem and in Tel-Aviv for many years.  Dan Meridor is a captain (res.) in the I.D.F.  He fought as a tank commander in the Six Days War and in the Yom Kippur War.

Mr. Meridor is presently the Chairman of the Board of Bezalel Academy of Art and Design and the President of Israel Council of Foreign Relations. Earlier he was the Chairman of the Public Council of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the Chairman of the Board of the Israel Museum and a member of the Board of the Gesher Theatre.

Dan Meridor was born in Jerusalem in 1947, where he lives ever since. He is married to Dr Leora Meridor, with four children and nine grandchildren.