Simcha Dan Rothman (Hebrew: שִׂמְחָה דָּן רוֹטְמָן; born 13 August 1980)[2] is an Israeli lawyer, right-wing activist, and politician. He is currently a member of the Knesset for the far-right National Religious Party–Religious Zionism and the chair of the Knesset's Constitution, Law and Justice Committee.
Simcha Rothman | |
|---|---|
 Rothman in 2019 | |
| Faction represented in the Knesset | |
| 2021–2023 | Religious Zionist Party |
| 2023– | Mafdal–Religious Zionism |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 13 August 1980 Bnei Brak, Israel |
| Children | 5[1] |
Biography
Rothman was born into a family that had moved into the region that is now Israel, from Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States by the early 20th century.[3] For his mandatory military service he studied at Yeshivat Kerem B'Yavneh via the Hesder, but was later discharged from conscription for medical reasons. He volunteered for active service, and served for 13 months[4] as a religious affairs NCO at the Military Engineering School.[5][6] After earning an LLB at Bar-Ilan University he studied for a master's degree in public law at Tel Aviv University and Northwestern University.[3]
He founded the Movement for Governability and Democracy in 2013.[3] A critic of the corruption trial of Benjamin Netanyahu, he has campaigned for legislation to allow the government to override the Supreme Court and supports immunity from prosecution for serving prime ministers.[7][3]
Prior to the 2021 Knesset elections Rothman was placed fourth on the list for the far-right Religious Zionist Party,[2] and was elected to the Knesset as the party won six seats.
In 2023, following the formation of the thirty-seventh government of Israel, Rothman was appointed chairman of the Knesset's Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, where he led the efforts to overhaul Israel's judiciary that sparked the 2023 Israeli judicial reform protests.[8]
On 2 June 2023 he was filmed snatching a megaphone from a protester while on an official visit to New York City.[9] The New York Police Department received a criminal harassment complaint filed against him by the protester, but closed it.[10] Upon his return to Israel, he described the event as "a personal attack on me", Labor party leader Merav Michaeli said "the move symbolized Rothman’s efforts to silence democracy in Israel".[11]
Rothman is married, and has five children.[1]
Visa cancellation by the Australian Government
Regarding his Anti-Palestinian words on the media, in August 2025 Australia’s Minister for Home Affairs revoked the visa of Simcha Rothman, one day before he was scheduled to attend an event for the Jewish community in Australia.[12][13]
This incident comes amidst diplomatic tensions between Australia and Israel, with Australia recently announcing its intention to recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations. The leader of Rothman's Religious Zionism party, Bezalel Smotrich, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, have faced sanctions and travel bans from Australia and other nations for allegedly inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.
References
- ^ a b "Judging a Court by its system: Interview with MK Simcha Rothman". Israel National News. 11 December 2022. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
- ^ a b בחירות 2021: חברי הכנסת ה-24 מטעם הציונות הדתית Mako, 25 March 2021
- ^ a b c d Candidate Rothman: Conviction may not bring down Netanyahu The Jerusalem Post, 18 February 2021
- ^ "הבקשה החריגה של שמחה רוטמן מכתב חדשות 13 - להפסיק לתייג". ערוץ 7 (in Hebrew). 31 October 2022.
- ^ Simcha D. Rothman Tikvah
- ^ "Simcha Rothman on Twitter: "כשקיבלתי פטור משירות צבאי מסיבות רפואיות..." Twitter (in Hebrew). Archived from the original on 6 August 2022. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
- ^ Wootliff, Raoul; Magid, Jacob (26 March 2021). "Reform rabbi, Kahanist agitator, firebrand writer: The new Knesset's 16 rookies". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
- ^ Eglash, Ruth (13 February 2023). "Meet the Knesset member at the forefront of the controversial plans to reform Israel's judiciary". Jewish Insider. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
- ^ Tress, Luke (3 June 2023). "Police complaint filed against MK Rothman as he grabs megaphone from NYC protester". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
- ^ "Israeli lawmaker gets into incident with anti-reform protesters in New York City". I24NEWS. 4 June 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
- ^ Lidor, Canaan (5 June 2023). "After megaphone tussle, Rothman's wife says she felt 'assaulted' by NY hecklers". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
- ^ "Far-right Israeli politician's visa cancelled ahead of speaking tour". MSN News. 18 August 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Far-right Israeli politician's visa cancelled ahead of speaking tour". ABC News. 18 August 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
External links
- Simcha Rothman on the Knesset website