Yoram Turbowicz
צילום: אלי אלגרט
Olmert’s right hand man
Meet Yoram Turbowicz, 48, formerly the Trade Restrictions Authority commissioner and now Olmert’s chief of staff, who has used his Harvard education, as well as his business acumen, to position himself as the strongman in the Prime Minister’s Office
Undoubtedly, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, 61, and his chief of staff Yoram Turbowicz, 48, are kindred spirits. Not only do they have the same body language and speaking style, but they share an appreciation for the good life. For instance, they consider themselves to be gourmets and wine connoisseurs, enjoying knocking back with expensive cigars, and run in the same high profile social circles. Yet, most of all, they both see the White House model as the embodiment of their vision for the way the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) should be run.
Olmert, who has a weakness for international charm, sought a White House-style chief of staff, and Turbowicz, with his doctorate from Harvard, fits the bill like a dream. Each morning, he arrives at work impeccably dressed; his desk is always uncluttered; his English is flawless; his humor is sharp; and he knows where to find the best ice cream parlor in every European capital.
But not everyone is as enamored as Olmert. A senior politician notes, “The problem is that Turbowicz is accumulating too much authority. Everything in the PMO goes through him. Even matters of state, both political issues and security issues. Yoram has total control over the PMO. It’s not right that there’s only one gatekeeper and that everything passes by him.”
Even some PMO staffers have started to resent Turbowicz’s ascendancy. During Olmert’s recent flight to the US, Turbowicz sat near the prime minister, right next to the military secretary. When they arrived at the White House, Olmert first introduced Turbowicz to President George W. Bush. Turbowicz was in his element. He reminisced about his Harvard days with Deputy National Security Adviser Elliot Abrams and joked in fluent English with National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley, who chortled visibly.
Meanwhile, Olmert’s Old Guard stood on the sidelines, took deep breaths, and remained silent. On one hand, they want their boss to succeed, but on the other hand, they would prefer that Turbowicz did not have Olmert’s ear.
When Yoram met Ehud
The prime minister and his chief of staff first met ten years ago, when Olmert was the mayor of Jerusalem. Turbowicz, one of a group of kindergarten parents who had come to city hall to complain about their haredi neighbors, stood out in his suit, tie and brown leather notebook. Olmert noticed Turbowicz immediately and assured him, “Don’t worry. We’ll find a creative solution.”
In the years that followed, their paths crossed again. For example, two years ago, then Trade and Industry Minister Olmert consulted with Turbowicz about trade restrictions. At an intimate gathering of friends this week, Olmert insisted that he knew already then that he and Turbowicz had a professional future together.
Early years
Turbowicz was born in a modest Tel Aviv home. His ambitious parents, who had arrived in the thirties from Germany, taught him to strive for excellence. When he was 11, his father died suddenly as a result of a heart attack, and Turbowicz was left with a stubborn sense of responsibility for his mother and sisters.
After spending his mandatory military service in the intelligence corps, he was asked to stay on in the standing army as military aide to the head of the intelligence branch. However, Turbowicz declined. His then girlfriend’s father had an electronics plant in China, and Turbowicz preferred the business offer over a military career.
Initially rejected in his bid for law school, Turbowicz spent a year studying economics before reapplying and finally being accepted to Hebrew University Law School. Concurrent with his studies, he was employed as a parliamentary assistant to Haim Bar-Lev, then Labor Party secretary-general. Later, he clerked for Judge Miriam Ben-Porat, the President of the High Court in those days, and then worked as an intern for attorney Amnon Goldenberg.
Turbowicz, who is married to Anat and has four daughters, spent two years as the legal advisor to Moshe Nissim, then trade and industry minister, before being appointed as Trade Restrictions Authority commissioner, a position he held for eight years.
In 1998, he became CEO of Discount Investments, where his large salary made headlines. Three years later, he left the company with 5.2 million shekels in severance pay, 2.9 million shekels in stock options, and an additional twelve months worth of salary.
His former co-workers report that when the Internet bubble burst, Turbowicz kept his cool. For example, his former associate Elon Shelo recalls, “When there was a crisis, Yoram withstood it honorably without shifting the blame to the employees. He had to endure many insults; Discount Investments’ general equity had decreased. But he didn’t try to make accusations, and he didn’t try to shift it on to anyone underneath him.”
'Not always the nice guy'
Subsequent business deals made Turbowicz even richer. In 2003, he arranged the sale of the IDB group to Nochi Danker and earned 22 million shekels for his efforts.
After spending the past two years in the private sector, Turbowicz became a member of the committee that prepared post-elections plans for Olmert. Most meetings were held at Turbowicz’s house and focused mainly on the PMO. The group recommended that the chief of staff be “intelligent, ambitious, and with public administration experience… without his own political agenda… He should not always try to be the ‘nice guy’, because that should be left for the prime minister.”
As head of Olmert’s team, Turbowicz was very involved in the coalition negotiations. Eventually, the prime minister offered him the chief of staff position. Turbowicz replied that although he had displayed some interest in becoming the government’s legal advisor, politics held no attraction for him. Olmert waved his hand dismissingly in response.
Turbowicz declined to be interviewed for this article. A source who is familiar with him indicated that Turbowicz’s motto has always been, “If you have nothing to gain from a certain topic, don’t express yourself on that topic. Why? Because it will come back to haunt you.”
