From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, June 16, 2026
Shas leader’s son to be appointed to senior JNF-KKL position
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Shas chairman Aryeh Deri’s son Yanki is set to be appointed as associate chairman of the Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF), a position previously held by Deri’s brother Shlomo and that comes with staff, a car, and an office, Channel 12 reports.
Deri’s office tells the network that “this is an unpaid position” and was “initially intended for former MK Moshe Arbel, but due to a conflict of interest, he announced he would not be able to accept it,” and that his son, who had “served for years as a board member of the World Zionist Organization,” was only being appointed on a “temporary basis” until the position can be filled full-time.
The large Zionist institutions, WZO and KKL-JNF alike, have long been criticized as a source of political patronage and nepotism.
The Times of Israel Community.