UZAN, AHARON

UZAN, AHARON (1924– ), Israeli politician. Uzan was born in tunisia and immigrated to Israel in 1948. Although a goldsmith by profession, he became a farmer and building worker in moshav Gilat in the Negev, where he remained. He was manager of the Negev Purchasing Organization (1957–65), secretary of Tenu'at ha-Moshavim (the moshav movement), and president of the Negev Economic Club. He became recognized as Israel's expert on the future of the Negev. He was elected a member of the Sixth Knesset in 1965 as a representative of the Labor Alignment and served as deputy minister of agriculture from 1965 to 1969. He was appointed minister of communications in the government of Golda Meir in March 1974 and minister of agriculture in June of the same year, remaining in that office until the elections of May 1977. He was the first cabinet minister to be appointed from the members of the mass immigration from North Africa after the establishment of the State. In the 1981 Knesset elections he joined with Aharon Abuhazeira in forming Tami and served in the Knesset as one of its representatives. He also served as deputy minister of absorption and subsequently as welfare minister and absorption minister.