Tzipi Hotovely is the youngest Member of the Israeli Knesset, the head of the Committee on the Status of Women and one of the rising stars of Israel's political world. She is a doctoral candidate in Law, an observant orthodox woman who breaks the mold, she is emerging as a central figure in Israel's future and in the renewal of the Zionist movement in Israel and the world.
MK Hotovely's parents immigrated to Israel from Georgia in the former Soviet Union. Tzipi was born and raised in the southern Israeli town of Rehovot and graduated from the 'Ulpanit B'not Akiva' (a national-religious high school for girls) in Tel Aviv. During her National Service she served as an Emissary of the Jewish Agency in Atlanta, Georgia and as a counselor for educational programs in the Rav Kook Center in Jerusalem.
Education
Tzipi completed her Bachelor's and Master's degrees at Bar-Ilan University, graduating with honors. Upon completion of her academic studies she interned in Corporate Law and became a Bar certified attorney in 2003. During her studies she was active in the World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS) and represented the organization at a student conference in South Africa. Between 2003 and 2005 she served as the editor of Bar-Ilan's Journal of Law. MK Hotovely has chosen to continue her academic career, and is currently a doctoral student at Tel Aviv University Law School.
Media
In 2006, she joined the panel of the political discussion program "Moetzet HaHahamim" ("Council of the Wise") on Channel 10, hosted by Dan Margalit. Among the panel's members were journalists Amnon Dankner, the late Tommy Lapid, Ari Shavit and Gideon Levy. MK Hotovely, then as now, represented the proud, patriotic and unapologetic Zionist position on the panel, and was among the most vocal critics of the Olmert government following the 2006 Second Lebanon War. She supported the reserve soldiers' demonstrations, and called on the country's leadership to resign. Also in 2006, she started writing opinion pieces for Ma'ariv concerning current political issues, and since 2007 she has a regular column in the Judaism section of the paper, the subjects involving the links between topics in Judaism and current events. She has taken part in other various television programs as well.
Politics
In November 2008, she announced that she was joining Likud, and would compete in the party's primaries for the 18th Knesset. She succeeded in being placed in the 18th slot on the party's list for the 2009 elections, and became a member of the Knesset.
Since taking her oath as a Member of the 18th Knesset, MK Hotovely has continued to proudly represent a fervent and unapologetic Zionist platform, firmly based on Jewish principles and values.