Ram Shefa Explained

Birth Date:15 February 1985
Birth Place:Givat Haim, Israel
Office1:Faction represented in the Knesset
Suboffice1:Blue and White
Subterm1:2019–2021
Suboffice2:Labor Party
Subterm2:2021–2022

Ram Shefa (Hebrew: רָם שֶׁפַע, born 15 February 1985) is an Israeli politician. A former head of the National Union of Israeli Students, he was a member of the Knesset for the Labor Party from 2021 to 2022, having previously been an MK for the Blue and White alliance from 2019 to 2021.

Biography

Shefa was born in kibbutz Givat Haim (Ihud), the son of Gershon, an Olympic swimmer and Tamar, a kindergarten teacher. He attended Maya'an Shahar school, after which he did a Service Year in the Beit HaYeled boarding school in Tel Aviv. In his national service in the Israel Defense Forces he served in the Shaldag Unit. After completing his national service, Shefa moved to the Ein Yahav moshav in the Arava Valley, where he worked in agriculture for a year, before spending six months volunteering abroad for Tevel B'Tzedek. When he returned to Israel, he worked for the Aharei organisation.

In 2012 he began an undergraduate course at the Kibbutzim College, and at the end of the year he was elected head of the college's student union. In 2014 he became deputy chair of the National Union of Israeli Students. In 2016 he started a master's degree course in public policy at Tel Aviv University, and was elected chair of the National Union of Israeli Students.

In February 2019 Shefa resigned from the union and joined the new Israel Resilience Party.[1] After the party became part of the Blue and White alliance, he was given the twenty-ninth slot on the joint list,[2] and was subsequently elected to the Knesset as the alliance won 35 seats. He announced on 25 January 2021 that he had joined the Israeli Labor Party and would run in its primaries,[3] placing sixth.[4] He left the Knesset on 31 January and was replaced by Ruth Wasserman Lande.[5] He was re-elected to the Knesset as the Labor Party won seven seats in the 2021 elections.

For the 2022 elections Shefa was placed fifth on the Labor list, but lost his seat as the party won only four seats.

Shefa is married to Efrat Resner, with whom he has a son. The couple live in Givat Haim (Ihud).

Notes and References

  1. Web site: יו"ר התאחדות הסטודנטים רם שפע התפטר ויצטרף למפלגתו של בני גנץ. Yedioth Ahronoth. 3 February 2019. he.
  2. https://bechirot21.bechirot.gov.il/election/Candidates/Pages/OneListCandidates.aspx?LPF=Search&WebId=6adadc15-e476-480b-9746-04490aedeb0f&ListID=ba72a662-765c-45af-9d48-fb68080956af&ItemID=91&FieldID=ListNickname_GxS_Text 2019 Blue and White list
  3. Web site: Blue and White defector Ram Shefa joins Labor, will run in primaries. The Times of Israel. 25 January 2021. 27 January 2021. Staff writer.
  4. Web site: Labor primaries results: Omer Barlev in 2nd place, Emilie Moatti in 3rd. 1 February 2021. The Times of Israel. 1 February 2021.
  5. Web site: South African MK Wasserman Lande returning to Knesset. The Jerusalem Post. 31 January 2021. 31 January 2021. Gil. Hoffman. Gil Hoffman.