Chaim Oron

Haim "Jumes" Oron (; born 26 March 1940) is an Israeli politician and former Minister of Agriculture. Oron led the political party Meretz between 2008 and 2011, and served as a member of the Knesset for it and its predecessor Mapam between 1988 and 2000, and again from 2003 to 2011.

Biography Oron was born in Givatayim and grew up in Ramat Gan. His parents emigrated from Poland before World War II. His father was a textile worker and his mother a housewife. His nickname as a boy was "Jamus" (water buffalo) and later, "Jumes" (sycamore fruit). He attended Tichon Hadash high school in Tel Aviv.

Oron served in the Israel Defense Forces with the airborne Nahal unit. During his military service, he and his wife Nili joined kibbutz Lahav, where he taught in the high school and worked in various branches of the kibbutz economy (poultry, field crops, sausage factory, plastics factory). He was a member of the kibbutz committee and served as executive secretary. In 1968, he became secretary of the Hashomer Hatzair movement. He was national secretary of Kibbutz Artzi twice.

He joined Haim Ramon in his bid for the Histadrut leadership, and after Ramon's victory, during 1995-1996, served as its treasurer. In 1999, Oron was appointed Minister of Agriculture in Ehud Barak's government. In 2000, he resigned from the Knesset to better carry out his duties as a Minister. He returned to the Knesset after the 2003 elections. He headed the party's list in the 2009 elections, but saw the party reduced to just three seats. Several days after the election, on 14 February, 300 Meretz members signed a petition urging Oron to resign, while a second petition signed by 400 other party members, including Shulamit Aloni and Yossi Beilin, called for him to stay. The next day, Oron said he decided not to resign, saying: "For me, responsibility means working toward the rehabilitation of Meretz".

In January 2011 Oron announced he would resign from the Knesset within a few months, before formally resigning his seat on 23 March. He remained the leader of Meretz until Zehava Galon was elected to replace him in February 2012.

Activism Oron has embarked on several projects to improve the welfare of the Bedouin population of the Negev, among them the establishment of a wastewater purification plant, a health clinic and nursery schools.

He is the Laureate of the 2005 "Quality in Government Award"