Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Breaking News

Will Sarah Silverman Join Israel’s First Family?

The U.S.-born entrepreneur Yosef Abramowitz officially announced today that he is throwing his name into the ring for Israel’s upcoming presidential race.

Politicians will select a new president, to take over from Shimon Peres this summer, and Abramowitz, the man who brought large-scale solar fields to Israel is to stand, competing with candidates with a background in party politics.

“President Shimon Peres has done great things. To continue this momentum, Israel must field a president who embodies innovation and the ‘Start-Up Nation,’ a president who will foster hope and a bright future for the younger generations who are desperately seeking social and economic stability,” said Abramowitz.

“I would lead government development to promote an investment-friendly climate. I would strive to improve Israel’s standing in the global arena and embrace the strengthening of pluralism among all Israelis.”

He is the husband of a Reform Rabbi, Susan Silverman, famous for being detained by the police at the Western Wall, and is expected to issue a strong call for religious pluralism in his platform.

Abramowitz may also bring a touch of humor to his campaign if his sister-in-law decides to help him out — she is none other than comedian Sarah Silverman, who famously marked his joining her family back in the nineties on Saturday Night Live. “So now my sister is Susan Silverman-Abramowitz. But they are thinking about shortening it to just ‘Jews,’” she said.

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.