TAMI (Movement for the Traditions of Israel, in Hebrew Tnu?at Masoret Israel)
TAMI (Movement for the Traditions of Israel, in Hebrew Tnuʾat Masoret Israel)
Name of an Israeli political group, arisen from a splinter in 1981, in the National Religious Party. Founded by Aharon Abuhatzeira, TAMI attracted Sephardim, while benefiting from the financial support of the wealthy Swiss banker Nissim Gaon. As a result of the elections of June 1981, this party won three Knesset seats. The following year, TAMI was weakened by a corruption scandal involving its principal leader, Abuhatzeira, former minister of religious affairs. In 1983, TAMI Knesset Members backed, successfully, the candidacy of Laborite Chaim Herzog to the post of president of the State of Israel. In October 1983, TAMI joined the rightist government of Yitzhak Shamir, obtaining the portfolio of labor, taken by Aharon Uzan. In March 1984 the leadership of the party decided to withdraw its support from the Shamir government, anticipating the results of the next scheduled elections, in which the Labor Party won 44 seats against 41 for Likud. As a result of this ballot, nevertheless, TAMI obtained only one seat, filled by Abuhatzeira. Four years later, just before the elections of November 1988, the latter rejoined Likud, leading to the disappearance of TAMI from the Israeli political arena.
SEE ALSO Abuhatzeira, Aharon;National Religious Party;Shamir, Yitzhak.