Avi Maoz

Avigdor "Avi" Maoz (אֲבִיגְדוֹר "אָבִי" מָעוֹז, born 6 July 1956) is an Israeli civil servant and politician. The leader of the far-right, religious conservative Noam party, he is currently its sole member in the Knesset.

Biography
Maoz was born Avigdor Fischheimer in the Kiryat Shmuel neighborhood of Haifa. He is the son of Holocaust survivors Esther and Israel Fischheimer. In 1975, he enlisted in the IDF, and in 1977, he was a partner in establishing the settlement Migdal Oz in Gush Etzion, and was later the secretary of the Kibbutz. Between 1980 and 1991, he studied at a yeshiva.

Early career
Maoz was appointed Director of the Ministry of Interior by Natan Sharansky in 1999, and subsequently became director of the Ministry of Construction and Housing under minister Effi Eitam. He also served as the director-general of Yisrael BaAliyah.

Political career
Maoz became the leader of the Noam party after its establishment in 2019. He and Noam campaign on Israel's "Jewish identity", which Maoz and his party argue should be against secularism, liberalism, and Reform Judaism. He advocates for social traditionalism, and has campaigned heavily against LGBT rights, calling for a ban on Pride parades in Jerusalem and the legalization of conversion therapy. He is against women serving in the Israel Defense Forces, and has called for increased gender segregation of public events.

Prior to the 2021 Knesset elections, Maoz was placed sixth on the Religious Zionist Party list, and was elected to the Knesset as the party won six seats.

He was re-elected in the 2022 Knesset elections as part of the Religious Zionism Party, though the party split into three factions on 20 November 2022. An agreement signed on 27 November 2022 will appoint Maoz a deputy minister in the coalition under Benjamin Netanyahu. As part of the agreement, Maoz heads a new organization focused on Jewish identity, which will include control of Nativ, a body that administers immigration from former Soviet countries. Maoz has said he wishes to change Israel's Law of Return to exclude non-Jewish grandchildren of Jews, and recognize only Orthodox conversions to Judaism for migration. Maoz's appointment went into effect on 3 January 2023.

On 27 February 2023, Maoz announced his intention to resign as deputy minister, claiming the government did not intend on fulfilling Noam's coalition agreement with Likud. His resignation went into effect on 1 March. In May 2023, Maoz returned to his position as deputy minister in charge of the Jewish National Identity Authority.

Personal life
Maoz lives in Jerusalem, is married, and has ten children.