Former MK and minister Yossi Sarid dies at 75

Former Minister of Education Yossi Sarid, for decades a key figure on the Israeli left and the former head of Meretz, passed away in Tel Aviv on Friday evening. Sarid left politics in 2005, but continued to have his say on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and issues of religion and state in articles, columns and on the radio.

Ynet Reporters
Published: 12.04.15, 23:35 / Israel News

Yossi Sarid, the former education minister, passed away on Friday evening at the age of 75. A Member of the Knesset for 32 years, Sarid started out with the Alignment party before continuing his political career with Meretz. He passed away in Tel Aviv after extended resuscitation attempts by paramedics.

Sarid was born in October 1940 in Rehovot. His father Yaakov (Schneider) was the head of the Minstry of Education. Sarid spent his army service in the Artillery Corps before becoming a military correspondent.

His political journey started with Mapai, after which he served as an assistant to Finance Minister Pinchas Sapir and Prime Minister Levi Eshkol. In 1974 Sarid was elected to the Knesset for the first time as a member of the Alignment party. He was a member of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, among others.

Sarid's first government role came in 1992 as part of the Rabin government, when he was appointed Minister of the Environment. After competing with Shulamit Aloni, who was then head of Meretz, Sarid was appointed leader of the party on October 22, 1996.

Source: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4735017,00.html