Yaakov Turner

Yaakov Turner
יעקב טרנר
7th Mayor of Beersheba
In office
1998–2008
Preceded byDavid Bunfeld
Succeeded byRuvik Danilovich
Personal details
Born(1935-02-27)27 February 1935
Kfar Yona, Mandatory Palestine
Died27 October 2024(2024-10-27) (aged 89)
Political partyLabor
SpouseAriela Turner

Yaakov Turner (Hebrew: יעקב טרנר‎, 27 February 1935 – 27 October 2024) was an Israeli general and politician who served as the mayor of Beersheba. Prior to his election as mayor, he was an Israel Air Force pilot and the country's Chief of Police.[1] Turner was the founder and head of the Israeli Air Force Museum.[2]

Early life

Turner visiting Lod as chief of police

Yaakov Turner was born in Kfar Yona, Mandatory Palestine, to Jewish parents from Hungary and Poland. He graduated from Ben Gurion University of the Negev with a major in behavioral sciences.[3]

Military and police career

Turner enlisted in the Israeli Air Force in 1953 and retired in 1985 as a brigadier general. In the Yom Kippur War he was an F-4 Phantom II pilot, and in the Six-Day War and the War of Attrition, he was the commander of an air combat squadron.

In 1985 he founded the Israeli Air Force Museum in Hatzerim airbase near Beersheba.[4]

After his military service, he joined the Israel Police, where he became general commissioner (commander of the police) in 1990, a position he held until 1993. Turner served as president of the Israeli branch of the International Police Association.[5]

Mayor

In 1998, Turner was elected mayor of Beersheba. He was elected on a local list, but with the support of the Israeli Labor Party.[6] He was re-elected in 2003,[3] but lost the elections in 2008 to his former deputy mayor, Ruvik Danilovich.[7] Turner won 30 percent of the vote versus 60 percent for Danilovich.[7]

The Yaakov Turner Sports Complex, named for him, includes the 16,000-seat Turner Stadium, multifunctional sport hall and practice fields.[8]

Death

Turner died on 27 October 2024, at the age of 89.[9]

References

  1. ^ Lebel, Udi (13 September 2013). Communicating Security: Civil-Military Relations in Israel. Routledge. ISBN 9781317998228.
  2. ^ "International Air Cadets Plant Trees at Israeli Air Force Museum". Archived from the original on 15 February 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  3. ^ a b Russo, Yocheved Miriam (5 December 2003). "Beersheva Mayor Yaakov Turner". Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 30 May 2016 – via HighBeam Research.
  4. ^ "International Air Cadets at Israeli Air Force Museum". The Jerusalem Post. 2 August 2012. Archived from the original on 27 July 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  5. ^ "International Police Association". Archived from the original on 15 February 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  6. ^ "Israel Democracy Institute: National and Local Politics". Archived from the original on 15 February 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  7. ^ a b Izenberg, Dan (12 November 2008). "'Obama effect' sees 'youth' ousting incumbents". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 27 July 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  8. ^ "Municipality of Be'er Sheva". Archived from the original on 21 August 2014. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  9. ^ ראש עיריית באר שבע לשעבר יעקב טרנר הלך לעולמו (in Hebrew)
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