Devout son of US immigrants running in Labor primary
Chili Tropper of the Jerusalem suburb Nes Harim has announced that he intends to run in the November 27 Labor primary.
Chili Tropper 370(photo credit: Courtesy)ByGIL STERN STERN HOFFMANThe Labor Party has not had a kippa-wearer in the Knesset since former parliament speaker Avraham Burg. But that could change if Chili Tropper gets his way.Tropper, 34, from the Jerusalem suburb of Ness Harim, announced this week that he intends to run in the November 27 Labor primary.He joined Labor to help chairwoman Shelly Yacimovich’s election campaign and promote her socioeconomic agenda.The principal of a school in Ramle for drop-outs, he helped found the Shachen Tov (good neighbor) association and Bema’aglei Tzedek, an organization that merges social activism with education in an effort to fix social ills.“We in Labor are trying to break traditional dividing lines of Right and Left and religious and secular that are no longer relevant,” Tropper said. “Socioeconomic issues and education are what matters.When I tell other religious Zionists what party I am in, they are surprised, but they understand that it’s not the same Labor. Some people are cynical, but I don’t care.”While Tropper has never been a member of a political party before, his father, Rabbi Danny Tropper, heads the election committee of Habayit Hayehudi and has been active for years in the National Religious Party and Meimad.Danny Tropper made aliya from New York in 1968 with his wife, Faygie, who is from Los Angeles. Chili still has grandparents and many family members in the United States.If elected to the Knesset, Chili Tropper would have to give up his American citizenship.He said that if he won a slot on the Labor list, he would campaign among immigrants from Englishspeaking countries.He added that while his father did not identify with Labor, he was proud that his son had decided to try and make an impact on Israeli society.When asked about his son’s run, the elder Tropper said, “Chili was once known as Danny Tropper’s son, but now I am glad to be known as Chili Tropper’s father.”RECOMMENDED STORIESHow is Iran still launching missiles at Israel despite Israeli airstrikes?JUNE 16, 2025IDF pummels Tehran with heavy fire, 50 Israeli fighter jets take part in attacksJUNE 15, 2025A volcano ready to blow: Middle East erupts with Israeli strikes on IranJUNE 15, 2025Starlink operating in Iran, Elon Musk says, as Islamic regime shuts internet downJUNE 14, 2025Hot OpinionNow is the time for a unity government to provide clarity within the chaosByJPOST EDITORIALAs Iran vows our destruction, Israel unitesByYAIR LAPIDFive takeaways from the bomb shelter: Reflections on the Israel-Iran WarByDAVID BRINNIsrael strikes Iran: Strategic success or start of an uncertain future?BySUSAN HATTIS ROLEF