Yitzhak Rager

Who was Yitzhak Rager?

Yitzhak "Ijo" Rager was an Israeli journalist, diplomat, and a Likud mayor of Beersheba.

Rager was born in Cairo, though immediately after his birth, his family moved to Mandate Palestine and settled in Jerusalem. In his IDF service he reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and took part in the Six-Day War.

After his discharge he worked in the mass media; among his posts were as European correspondent for Kol Israel, the Israeli national radio service; editor of the periodical HaYom; and general director of the Israel Broadcasting Authority. During that period, he was affiliated with the General Zionists, a centrist political party, and particularly aligned with Yitzhak Rokeach. On behalf of Israel's Foreign Service, Rager was posted to New York as a consul, focused on the international efforts to open the gates of emigration from the USSR for Soviet Jewry. Afterwards he was made world president of the State of Israel Bonds.

As a business entrepreneur, Rager was among the founders of Kanyon HaNegev, the Negev's largest commercial center and one of the group established by Canadian developer David Azrieli. Its success was the source of some conflict in Beersheba: proponents touted the Kanyon's successful businesses and how the modernized facility offered local residents amenities comparable to the Westernized center of the country and abroad, purportedly raising their standard of living. However, the competition badly harmed the businesses of Beersheba's Old City, which have yet to recover.