Rafi Saar

Rafi Saar
רפי סער
Rafi Saar, 2023
Mayor of Kfar Saba
Incumbent
Assumed office
4 December 2018
Preceded byYehuda Ben Hamo
Personal details
Born (1967-09-25) 25 September 1967 (age 59)
Kfar Saba, Israel
PartyDerech Hadasha
Mayor of Kfar Saba, Rafi Saar, at a demonstration in Kfar Saba as part of the 2023 Israeli anti-judicial reform protests, February 20, 2023.

Rafi Saar (Hebrew: רפי סער; born 25 September 1967) is the current mayor of Kfar Saba.

Background

Rafi Saar was born in and grew up in Kfar Saba. From 1982-1985, he attended the "Katznelson" high school in the city.

In the army, Saar served in the Engineering Corps and later studied at Bar-Ilan University from which he received bachelor degrees in political science and sociology and a Master's degree in business management.

Career

Saar served as aide to former Kfar Saba mayor Itzhak Vald and later became General Manager of Kfar Saba Municipality.

In 2008, he ran for head of regional council for Kochav Yair-Tzur Yigal but lost. He served as council member on the opposition.

From 2009-2014, Saar served as General Manager of the municipality of Hod HaSharon.

Mayor of Kfar Saba

On October 30, 2018 he ran for mayor of Kfar Saba in the first round against Yossi Sedbon, Zvika Zarfati, Ilai Harsgor Hendin, Hadar Lavi, Yuval Levi and Mirit Shaked Barak and advanced to the second round. On the 13th of November 2018, Saar won the election with 53.2% of the vote against Yossi Sedbon's 46.8%.

In the 2024 elections, he ran for another term and received 46.89% of the votes, with a gap of 757 votes from Hadar Lavi, and was elected to continue serving as head of the Kfar Saba municipality for five more years. For the city council, his list received 3 seats.

On October 12, 2026, it was reported that Saar, his wife, the CEO of an economic corporation, and 21 other individuals had been arrested by the police on suspicion of involvement in a corruption scandal. The allegations against Saar include bribery, conspiracy to commit a crime, money laundering offenses, extortion, obstruction of justice, and obtaining a benefit by fraud. Following his arrest, Saar suspended himself from his position and announced that his deputy would fill his role.

References

  1. 1 2 "Saar of a New Day: Rafi Saar is the New Mayor of Kfar Saba" (in Hebrew). Tzomet HaSharon. 14 November 2018. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Rafi Saar - MyNet" (in Hebrew). mynet. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  3. 1 2 Abrahamson, Arye (22 November 2018). "From his Childhood in Sheshet HaYamim to the Mayor's Office on Weizman: Saar's Rise to the Top" (in Hebrew). Tzomet HaSharon. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  4. ↑ "Going to a Second Round. The Big Winners of the Evening: Saar and Meretz" (in Hebrew). Tzomet HaSharon. 30 October 2018. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  5. ↑ Doron, Yaron (29 February 2024). "Thanks to 757 votes: Rafi Sa'ar won another term as mayor of Kfar Saba" (in Hebrew). Israel HaYom. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  6. ↑ Itzhaki, Eyal (29 February 2024). "Rafi Saar in his first reaction after winning the elections: "Proud to continue my life's mission"" (in Hebrew). Tzomet HaSharon. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  7. ↑ Hachmon, Alon (26 October 2026). "Expensive jewelry and handbags for the wife of the Kfar Saba mayor—who ran the city single-handedly—in a new corruption scandal" (in Hebrew). Maariv Online. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
  8. ↑ Yanovski, Roy; Greenberg, Hadas (12 October 2026). "The suspicion: The wife of the Kfar Saba mayor received bundles of cash in exchange for tenders" (in Hebrew). Kan 11. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
  9. ↑ Ifargan, Shimon (12 October 2026). "The raid in Kfar Saba: "They lived a lavish lifestyle and feared they were being followed."" (in Hebrew). Mako. Retrieved 13 October 2026.