Moti Sasson

Moti Sasson
מוטי ששון
Moti Sasson in 2023
Mayor of Holon
In office
10 November 1993 – 18 March 2024
Preceded byMoshe Rom
Succeeded byShai Keinan
Personal details
Born (1947-02-28) 28 February 1947
PartyLabor

Moti Sasson (Hebrew: מוטי ששון; born 28 February 1947) is an Israeli politician who served as the fifth mayor of Holon from 1993 to 2024. He was deputy and acting mayor between 1984–1989. He has worked hard to generate an image of the city as a "Children's city", establishing the Holon Children's Museum, and large gardens and play parks around the city. Under his leadership Holon has been awarded 5 gold stars by the Council for a beautiful Israel.[1]

Early life and education

Moti Sasson was born on 28 February 1947 in Holon to a Syrian Jewish family from Aleppo and completed his education at Bialik Elementary School and Kugel High School in Holon.[2][3] He is a graduate of the History of the Middle East, Arabic language and literature department of Tel Aviv University, and has a master's degree in Business Management from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.[4] Later, he earned a doctorate in Political Science at Bar-Ilan University, specializing in public policy.[3]

Mayor of Holon

Sasson was elected mayor of Holon for the first time in 1993.[5]

In 2010, he was named one of the world's top 10 mayors by the British magazine Monocle.[6]

In 2013, Forbes Israel ranked Sasson as the second-best mayor in Israel.[7] A month later, he was granted the Knight of Quality Government Award in the local authority category.[8]

He resigned from the Labor Party in early 2020 following a crisis of trust between himself and Labor Party chairman Amir Peretz.[9]

During the 2024 Israeli municipal elections, held on February 27, he lost reelection by a large margin to Likud member Shai Keinan, finishing in third place. His term as mayor concluded on 18 March 2024, after 30 years in office.[10]

References

  1. ^ "The city of Holon". Municipality of Holon. Archived from the original on 15 October 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
  2. ^ Cohen, Avi (28 February 2024). "היום שאחרי בחולון עם חיבוק ועוגה: המפגש המרגש בין ראש העיר היוצא לנכנס | ישראל היום". www.israelhayom.co.il (in Hebrew). Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  3. ^ a b Levy, Yoram (31 July 2018). "ששון בפתיחת קמפיין הבחירות: "2,000 יח"ד לזכאי משרד השיכון"". hashikma-holon.co.il (in Hebrew). Retrieved 12 December 2025.
  4. ^ "Founders". Design Museum Holon. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  5. ^ Paraszczuk, Joanna (20 August 2010). "Cinderella of the sand dunes". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
  6. ^ Hartman, Ben (4 August 2010). "Madrid, Amsterdam and... Holon". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
  7. ^ "ראשי הערים הטובים בישראל". Forbes Israel (in Hebrew). 16 October 2013. Archived from the original on 16 October 2013. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  8. ^ "זוכי אות אביר איכות השלטון 2013". Movement for Quality Government in Israel (in Hebrew). 11 November 2013. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  9. ^ Schneider, Tal (6 January 2020). "משבר האמון של ראש עיריית חולון עם עמיר פרץ הוביל לביטול חברות במפלגת העבודה". globes.co.il (in Hebrew). Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  10. ^ "אחרי שלושה עשורים: ראש עיריית חולון מוטי ששון הפסיד בבחירות". Israel National News (in Hebrew). 28 February 2024. Retrieved 21 December 2025.