Zeev Elkin is a prominent statesman of Israel. A native of Kharkov, he moved to the homeland of his ancestors in 1990 under the program of repatriation of Jews. There he got involved in politics, worked in several Israeli departments, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Strategic Planning, and Environmental Protection.
Biography: early years
Zeev Borisovich Elkin (real name - Vladimir) was born on April 3, 1971 in Kharkov. My father was a professor of mathematics, taught at a local university. Later he created and for a long time managed a branch of the International Solomon University (ISU).
Zeev followed in his father's footsteps. Since childhood, he was fond of the "queen of sciences" and chess. He has several victories at the All-Union Olympiads in various subjects.
After graduating from a prestigious lyceum with a physical and mathematical bias, he entered Kharkov University. In parallel, he was the deputy head of the Jewish city community, as well as the secretary of the all-Union youth religious-Zionist association "Bnei Akiva".
In 1990, the Union collapsed. And Elkin decided to move to his historical homeland. Without graduating from university, he moved to Israel. There he continued his education at the famous Hebrew University of Jerusalem. After the move, Elkin took the Hebrew name Zeev.
Career
In the late 90s, Elkin entered politics. So, he became an advisor to the director general of the Jewish Agency. Elkin oversaw the sphere of Russian Jewry.
He actively opposed the plan to separate Israel from Palestine, proposed by then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Elkin also disapproved of Ehud Olmert's policies. He did not accept the Zionist occupation of Palestine. However, after Sharon and Olmert formed the Kadima party in 2005, Elkin became a member.
A year later, Zeev became a member of the Israeli parliament. In 2008, he left Kadima and joined the Likud party. Elkin was soon re-elected to parliament.
In 2012, he protested against a decision by the Israeli government regarding the settlement of Migron, which was located on the west coast of the Jordan. Elkin accused his fellow party member Beni Begin, who oversaw the settlement, of deliberately leading the authorities to a dead end on this issue.
In 2013, Elkin became Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister. Five years later, he took part in the elections for mayor of Jerusalem as a candidate. He managed to gain about 20% of the vote. He is currently a member of the Israeli military-political cabinet.
Personal life
Zeev Elkin is married twice. There is no information about his first wife. The second wife's name is Maria, she is a journalist. The couple does not publish joint pictures on the network. It is known that the wedding of Zeev and Mary took place in 2009. Elkin has six children, three of whom were born in a second marriage.
Zeev's wife left journalism and is engaged in housekeeping. The upbringing of children also lies on her shoulders.
