May Golan

Flora May Bedra-Golan (מַאי גּוֹלָן; born 3 May 1986 ) is an Israeli politician who serves as the Minister for Social Equality and as Minister for Women's Empowerment. She was elected to the Knesset for Likud in the 2022 elections.

She was formerly the CEO of the NGO Hebrew City, and also worked as a campaigner against illegal immigration.

Before being elected to office, Golan was known for a number of derogatory and racist statements. She made some comments about African asylum seekers in Israel, referring to them as rapists and infiltrators who would spread HIV among the Israeli population. She is also known for her genocidal and derogatory comments aganist Palestinians. Golan says “If I am racist for wanting to defend my country and for wanting to protect my basic rights and security, then I’m a proud racist”.

Biography
Flora May Bedra-Golan was born in Tel Aviv, Israel. She is 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. She still lives today in South Tel Aviv, with her mother, previously on Mount Zion Street and today in Kfar Shalem.

At the age of 9, Golan was interviewed with her mother as part of a Channel One report on poverty in Israel. They were living on social security in a low-class neighborhood in South Tel Aviv. Following the broadcast, May was contacted by Gila Almagor and her Wish Foundation charity. Identified as a child with potential, she was invited to attend Ironi Dalet High School, located in North Tel Aviv, a higher socioeconomic neighborhood.

Political career
Golan became politically active in 2011, campaigning to raise awareness about the impact of undocumented immigrants from Africa on south Tel Aviv. She became a highly recognisable face in the campaign against the presence of undocumented immigrants in Tel Aviv.

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 due to their failure to pass the election treshold. In the 2015 elections for 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.

In April 2023, prime minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu nominated May Golan as a consul general to New York. This appointment did not come to fruition due to the opposition of elements in the American government about Golan's past statements regarding African refugees in Israel, which were defined as racist.

Media appearances
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.

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

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

Controversy
Golan has attracted international attention for her vocal support of Donald Trump, and incendiary remarks about  African immigration to Israel. When she was accused of racism at protest rallies in her early days as an activist, she was quoted as saying: “If I’m racist in order to preserve my life, I'm proud to be racist.”

Israeli reporter Uri Misgav points out that Golan avoided military and national service by declaring that she was religious, but stated in a 2012 interview that “I am not religious.”

In 2023, a group of former Israeli ambassadors said they were shocked by the appointment of Golan as Israel's new women's advancement minister, saying that “Golan’s appointment is outrageous as she is a racist and divisive figure, which is the exact opposite from what Israel needs in such a critical place.”

In 2024, Golan made a speech in the Knesset during the 2023-24 Israel–Hamas war, in which she said: "I am proud of the ruins of Gaza! That every baby - even in 80 years will tell his grandchildren what the Jews did when they murdered their families, raped them and kidnapped their citizens!"