Uri Lupolianski, a former mayor of Jerusalem and the founder of the Yad Sarah volunteer organization, died overnight (between Wednesday and Thursday) at the age of 74, after a prolonged illness and a recent deterioration in his health.
Lupolianski was born in 1951 in Haifa. He was married and is survived by his wife and 12 children. He served as a military medic, and in 1976 founded Yad Sarah, which today operates dozens of branches across Israel and relies on thousands of volunteers to provide medical and support equipment to those in need.
For his decades-long contribution to Israeli society and the field of volunteerism, Lupolianski received numerous awards and honors, including the Israel Prize, the President’s Award for Volunteerism, the Knesset Speaker’s Award, the Kaplan Prize, the Volunteerism Citation from the Israel Artists Association, recognition from the Movement for a Better Israel, and the Gerontology Prize. He received the Israel Prize on behalf of Yad Sarah.
Lupolianski entered municipal politics in 1989, when he was first elected to the Jerusalem City Council as a representative and chairman of Degel HaTorah. In 2003, he was elected mayor of Jerusalem, a position he held until 2008. He was the first ultra-Orthodox mayor of Jerusalem and the first to head the municipality of a mixed city. In 2008, he did not seek a second term. The ultra-Orthodox candidate was Meir Porush—now a Knesset member for United Torah Judaism—who lost the election to Nir Barkat, today Israel’s economy minister.
Lupolianski was later convicted in the Holyland corruption case on charges of accepting bribes after transferring funds from a state witness to Yad Sarah. He was initially sentenced to six years in prison, but in 2015 the Supreme Court reduced the sentence to six months of community service, citing his medical condition.
In a statement, Yad Sarah said: “We have been orphaned. We are stunned and heartbroken over the passing of our revered leader, the pillar of kindness, Rabbi Uri Lupolianski, of blessed memory. Woe, who will replace him. The funeral will depart from his home at 11:00 a.m. to Har HaMenuchot. Woe to the ship that has lost its captain.”
Knesset member Uri Maklev of United Torah Judaism said, “The world of kindness has today lost its greatest architect. Rabbi Uri Lupolianski placed chesed on an entirely different level. Through unconventional thinking and attention to detail, he built empires of giving from which we all learn. His entire essence was focused on how to benefit others and increase the honor of Heaven. Alongside his rare talents, he knew how to navigate complexity with warmth, absolute integrity, and infinite sensitivity to the human soul.”
Maklev added, “Rabbi Uri was a close friend and like a brother to me for more than half a century. I knew him long before his public work became widely known, and I was privileged to see up close what stood behind the scenes of that exemplary activity. Words are insufficient, and the news is heavy.”
Knesset member Meir Porush also paid tribute, saying, “Blessed is the true Judge. The people of Israel in general, and the city of Jerusalem in particular, have lost one of the most precious figures of kindness—my friend Rabbi Uri Lupolianski, of blessed memory, former mayor of Jerusalem and founder and chairman of Yad Sarah. I had the privilege of serving the public alongside him at Jerusalem City Hall and continuing to work with him for the benefit of all Israel over many years.
“In Pirkei Avot it is written that at a person’s passing, neither money nor gold nor precious stones accompany them—only Torah and good deeds. Rabbi Uri, of blessed memory, is now accompanied by countless good deeds and acts of kindness that he merited to perform for the entire people of Israel. The great and magnificent institution of Yad Sarah will continue to perform good deeds in his name, for the glory and elevation of his soul.”
His funeral is scheduled to take place at 11:00 a.m. Israel time, in Jerusalem.
First published: 05:33, 01.08.26