Namir, Orah (1930–)

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NAMIR, ORAH (1930–)

Israeli politician. Born in Hadera, Israel, Orah Namir served in the Israel Defense Force in the Arab-Israel War of 1948, then worked for the Israeli delegation to the United Nations in New York, where she attended Hunter College, earning a bachelor of arts degree. She returned to Israel, marrying Mordekhai Namir (1897–1969), a Labor Party leader and mayor of Tel Aviv (1956–1969). Namir was first elected to the Knesset in 1973 on the Labor Party list. She chaired the Education and Culture Committee (1974–1977) and the Labor and Social Affairs Committee (1977–1992). In 1992 Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin appointed Namir minister for the environment; a year later she was appointed minister of labor and social affairs. In 1996 Prime Minister Shimon Peres appointed her Israel's ambassador to the People's Republic of China, and she held that post until 2000.