May Golan

May Golan (Hebrew: מַאי גּוֹלָן, born 3 May 1986) is an Israeli politician, political activist and commentator.[1] She was elected to the Knesset for Likud in the 2022 elections.[2] She was formerly the CEO of the NGO Hebrew City, and also worked as a campaigner against illegal immigration.[3][4][5][6][7]

May Golan
Faction represented in the Knesset
2019Likud
2020–Likud
Personal details
Born (1986-05-03) 3 May 1986
Tel Aviv, Israel

Early life

Golan was born May Flora Golan Badra in Tel Aviv, Israel, to a Mizrahi Jewish family, the child of a single Orthodox Jewish mother who made Aliyah from Iraq as a 3-year-old girl as part of Operation Ezra and Nehemiah. She grew up near the old central bus station in South Tel Aviv.[7] She still lives today in South Tel Aviv, with her mother - previously on Mount Zion Street and today in Kfar Shalem.[8]

At the age of 9, she was interviewed on television with her mother, who was described as an archetype of distress being a single mother living on a social security pension in a deprived area of the city, on Channel 1, as part of a report on annual poverty in Israel.[9] Following the broadcast, May was contacted by Gila Almagor and her Wish Foundation charity. As a result of Almagor's help, she was identified as a child with potential by the municipality, who invited her to attend Ironi Dalet High School, in the higher socioeconomic North Tel Aviv sector of the city, where she was bullied for her South Tel Aviv background.[9]

Political career

After failing to establish herself as a sports journalist,[10] Golan became politically active in 2011, campaigning to raise awareness about the impact of undocumented immigrants from Africa on south Tel Aviv.[11] She became a highly recognisable face in the campaign against the presence of undocumented immigrants in Tel Aviv.[12]

In 2013 she established the organization "Hebrew city", which stood for election to the Tel Aviv city council, but was disqualified for technical reasons.

In the 2013 Israeli legislative election, she was placed at the 10th place candidate for the Otzma Leyisrael party, however the party won no seats.[13] In elections of the 20th Knesset, she was placed 32nd as a candidate for the Likud party which ultimately went on to receive the highest number of votes.

Media career

May Golan has been a frequent guest on political panels on television channels in Israel. She has also been interviewed by international media organizations, such as the BBC, Reuters, Fox News, I24News and RTVI.

In 2014, she was chosen as one of the 66 women to be aware of, by the newspaper Haaretz.[14]

In 2015, she was selected as 'Woman of the Year' in the social field by Israel's Channel 7.[15]

In July 2022 TikTok [16] banned her post on violence in South Tel Aviv for incitement to racism.

References
  1. The new star of the Right wants to purify TA of infiltrators Maariv, 29 November 2012
  2. Final results: These will be the members of the 25th Knesset, Ynet, 3 November 2022
  3. May Golan declares intention to enter Knesset Gil Ronen, 23/06/16, Israel National News
  4. Seeing Red in South Tel Aviv: Meet an Unabashed Right-wing Activist Hilo Glazer 23 January 2014, Haaretz
  5. Israeli Trump Supporter: 'People Have the Right to Protect Homes, Borders' 21 Jun, Fox News Insider
  6. At pro-Trump Bash in Jerusalem, Pundits, Firebrands and the Donald Allison Kaplan Sommer 25 October 2016
  7. "I stepped over child drug addicts and prostitutes stacked in the stairwell, but no such fear in south Tel Aviv. We were conquered. Eritreans are permitted to rape, that is their culture" Dror Feuer, 18 January 2014, 12:28, Globes
  8. From south Tel Aviv to the Knesset Itay Blumenthal Posted: 10.04.19, Ynet
  9. May Golan is not willing to let leftists decide who is entitled to human rights Haaretz, 17 January 2014, Hilo Glazer
  10. "ח"כ מאי גולן מונתה לסגנית שר במשרד ראש הממשלה - וואלה! חדשות". וואלה! (in Hebrew). 29 December 2022. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  11. May Golan pleased to be compared to Miri Regev Ynet, Ben Offer, 20:12:15
  12. May Golan is not ready to let leftists preach human rights Haaretz, 17 January 2014, Hilo Glazer
  13. Seeing Red in South Tel Aviv: Meet an Unabashed Right-wing Activist, Hilo Glazer, Haaretz, 23 January 2014
  14. 66 Israeli Women You Should Know For Israel's 66th Independence Dayהארץ , 2014
  15. The voice that broke the walls of silence כ"ה באלול תשע"ה 09/09/15 10:40
  16. Berski, Anna (19 July 2022). "צנזורה ברשתות החברתיות? טיקטוק חסמה סרטון של ח"כ מאי גולן - וזו הסיבה" [Tiktok Blocked Video of MP May Golan - And This is the Reason]. Maariv (in Hebrew). Retrieved 16 March 2023.
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