Michael Melchior (; born January 31, 1954) is a Jewish leader, Orthodox rabbi, thinker, and activist. He is a former Minister of Social and Diaspora Affairs, a former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and a former member of Knesset for Meimad. He is the Rabbi of a community in Talpiyot, Jerusalem (Beit Boyar), while still holding the title of the Chief Rabbi of Norway.
Biography
A descendant of seven generations of rabbis in Denmark, Melchior was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1954. His grandfather, Marcus Melchior, helped orchestrate the escape of Danish Jews during the Nazi occupation of Denmark, and served as the country's chief rabbi until his death in 1969. Michael was ordained as an Orthodox Rabbi at Yeshivat Hakotel of Jerusalem in 1980. Soon afterwards, he returned to Scandinavia to serve as Chief Rabbi of Norway.
In 1986, he immigrated to Israel, and settled down with his family in Jerusalem, while still holding the honorary title of Chief Rabbi of Norway.
Political career
Melchior entered politics with the Meimad party in 1995. When Rabbi Yehuda Amital was appointed minister without portfolio after the assassination of prime minister Yitzhak Rabin in November 1995, Melchior served as Amital's assistant. Melchior was selected chairman of the managing committee of the Meimad party in late 1995.
In the 1999 elections, Meimad ran as part of the One Israel alliance with the Labor Party and Gesher. Melchior won a seat, and was appointed Minister of Social and Diaspora Affairs on 5 August 1999, a post he held until Ariel Sharon became Prime Minister in 2001. Melchior was re-elected to the Knesset as a member of the joint list in 2003 and 2006, as Meimad continued its alliance with the Labor Party. In 2008, Meimad broke away from the alliance, and ran in partnership with the Green Movement in the 2009 elections, but failed to win a seat. On December 14, 2012, on his Facebook page, he said that he will quit Knesset elections.
Extra-parliamentary political and social activities
As part of his official roles in the Knesset and the Israeli government, Melchior was involved with Birthright Israel, an organization that has brought over 200,000 young Jews to explore their heritage in Israel.
In addition, Rabbi Melchior established a number of civil organizations that focus on issues he dealt with in his parliamentary activities, concerning education, inter-Jewish relations, the environment, economics, and Arab-Israeli peace.
He founded The Yachad Council, which promoted dialogue between religious and secular Jews, and he served as honorary chairman of the Citizens' Accord Forum Between Jews and Arabs in Israel. CAF conducted activities that promoted civic engagement, encouraged active citizenship, and inspired members of the public to play an active role in formulating policies that affect their daily lives and their future. CAF worked to create dialogue and civic action groups of Jews and Arabs across the country, in cooperation with civic and community organizations, including groups of ultra-Orthodox and Arab participants, among them a group of ultra-Orthodox Jewish women and religious Arab women, with the aim of building a shared society in a sustainable democracy in Israel.
While serving in the Knesset, Rabbi Melchior became concerned about the growing polarization between the different Jewish sectors in Israel. One contributing factor was the division of students in different educational streams: religious, secular, ultra-Orthodox, and Arab. These divides in the schools strengthened polarization between the Jewish sectors and reinforced a lack of common narrative, values, and vision for the future of the state. As a response, in 2001, Melchior established Meitarim - a network of pluralistic Jewish schools in Israel where religious and secular students can grow up and learn together in kindergartens, schools, pre- and post-military institutions in a non-coercive approach, enabling multiple interpretations and expressions of Jewish heritage to take responsibility for tolerance and the establishment of a collective narrative. Since 2001, Meitarim has disseminated its experimental infrastructure and curricula to over 15,000 students and instructors in collaboration with 120 educational institutions.