May Golan

May Golan (born 3 May 1986) is an Israeli politician and political activist. 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.
Biography
May Flora Golan Badra was born in Tel Aviv, Israel to a Mizrahi Jewish family. 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. 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. Her nomination was criticized by Israelis and Americans due to her comments about African refugees in Israel, including calls to expel them.
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.”
References
External links
May Golan's Column for Maariv (Hebrew)
May Golan interview for Ynet (Hebrew)
1986 births
Living people
21st-century Mizrahi Jews
Israeli Jews
Israeli people of Iraqi-Jewish descent
Jewish Israeli politicians
Likud politicians
Members of the 21st Knesset (2019)
Members of the 23rd Knesset (2020–2021)
Members of the 24th Knesset (2021–2022)
Members of the 25th Knesset (2022–)
Politicians from Tel Aviv
Women members of the Knesset
Israeli far-right politicians
Racism in Israel