38 Facts About Yaakov Litzman

Yaakov Noach Litzman is an Israeli politician and former government minister.

Yaakov Litzman previously served as Minister of Health and Minister of Housing and Construction.

Yaakov Litzman is married, has five children, and lives in Jerusalem.

Yaakov Litzman became active in politics under the guidance of the then-Gerrer Rebbe, Rabbi Simcha Binem Alter.

Yaakov Litzman was an assistant to the Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Welfare, Moshe Ze'ev Feldman until 1989.

Yaakov Litzman was an advisor to Member of Knesset Avraham Yosef Shapira.

Yaakov Litzman was elected, and became Chairman of the Finance Committee.

In 2017, Yaakov Litzman announced his resignation from the government, due to the continuation of Israel Railways work on Shabbat.

Yaakov Litzman officially returned to serve as Minister of Health in 2019.

In 2021, Yaakov Litzman announced his retirement and desire to run in forthcoming elections.

In 2022, following the plea agreement in the Malka Leifer case, Yaakov Litzman announced that he was resigning from the Knesset.

In 2016 Yaakov Litzman ordered Israel to reinstate fluoridation of Israeli drinking water.

Yaakov Litzman rescinded German's order to cancel free dental care for children and expanded dental coverage.

Yaakov Litzman opposed Brain Death Law and stated he believed patients should be declared dead only when their hearty stops beating.

Yaakov Litzman called for women be separated from men in the psychiatric hospitals.

On multiple occasion, Yaakov Litzman would make surprise visits to hospitals to check on their efficiency and conditions.

In 2016, Yaakov Litzman announced reforms hospital cafeterias allowing for discount food stores such as Cofix to operate on the premises.

Yaakov Litzman voted down a bill to add gender identity to the list of hate crimes.

In 2016, Yaakov Litzman began a campaign against junk food, using McDonald's as an example.

Yaakov Litzman campaigned against tobacco, but in 2017, opposing law requiring cigarette warning labels.

In 2017, investigative journalist Haim Rivlin said the reason was that HaModia newspaper, founded by Agudat Israel members, of which Yaakov Litzman is affiliated, published advertisements on behalf of the tobacco companies.

Yaakov Litzman announced in December 2021 that he would not run for reelection to the Knesset, citing his advanced age.

When coronavirus came to Israel in 2020, Yaakov Litzman supported social distancing and masks.

Yaakov Litzman was accused of violating his own rules when he allegedly attending group prayer services just days before he was diagnosed with COVID-19 himself.

Yaakov Litzman was the first Israeli elected official to be diagnosed with COVID-19.

Yaakov Litzman was criticized by fellow elected officials and the many in the public for the Health Ministry's handling of the pandemic.

On 13 September 2020, Yaakov Litzman resigned as Minister of Housing and Construction, in protest over a nationwide coronavirus shutdown scheduled to begin over the High Holidays of Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot, beginning on the first night on Rosh HaShanah, 19 September, for at least three weeks.

In January 2022, Yaakov Litzman signed a plea deal admitting that he had criminally assisted later-convicted paedophile Malka Leifer's attempt to evade extradition to Australia.

Several other charges against Yaakov Litzman relating to his activities as health minister were dropped as part of the plea agreement.

The plea deal required Yaakov Litzman to pay a nominal fine and to resign from the Knesset, which he did on 1 June 2022.

In June 2022, Yaakov Litzman was replaced as head of UTJ by Yitzhak Goldknopf.

Yaakov Litzman was criticized over statements that seemed to serve the interests of the tobacco companies, including hindering efforts to curb cigarette ads.

Yaakov Litzman argued that such laws would bankrupt newspapers, which rely on the advertising revenue.

Yaakov Litzman had a conflict of interest concerning Hamodia, due to the fact that it is published by his Agudat Yisrael party and employs his wife.

However, Yaakov Litzman stipulated that he would only agree on condition that the ban did not include printed publications.

Yaakov Litzman had attempted to obtain false psychiatric evaluations that would deem Leifer unfit to face trial in Australia.

Israeli police recommended on 6 August 2019 that Yaakov Litzman be indicted for "fraud and breach of trust", as well as bribery in another case.

Eli Beer, president of Israel's United Hatzalah ambulance service, criticized Yaakov Litzman for refusing to allow Hatzalah's 6,000 volunteers to play a role in assisting the Health Ministry and Magen David Adom to conduct virus tests.