BDE: Former Yerushalayim Mayor And Yad Sarah Founder Rabbi Uri Lupolianski z”l, 74

Rabbi Uri Lupolianski, who served as Jerusalem’s mayor and established the Yad Sarah volunteer organization, passed away late Wednesday night at the age of 74 following a lengthy and difficult illness.

Lupolianski was the driving force behind Yad Sarah, a nationwide nonprofit that delivers medical equipment and social assistance to the elderly, the ill, and people with disabilities. In addition to his public service work, he led the city of Jerusalem as mayor between 2003 and 2008.

Relatives said that during his final years, Lupolianski endured significant medical suffering before his passing. Approximately two weeks earlier, he was admitted to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in critical condition.

His funeral is scheduled for Thursday at 11:00 a.m., beginning at his residence in the Sanhedria Murhevet neighborhood. The procession will continue to Har HaMenuchos, where he will be laid to rest.

Born in Haifa in 1951, Lupolianski learned in Yeshiva Torah Or Yeshiva Yerushalayim and the Negev Yeshiva in Netivot. He later served as a medic in the IDF, worked in education, and pursued studies in public administration.

In 1976, following personal difficulty obtaining medical equipment for his young son, Lupolianski founded Yad Sarah. Named in memory of his grandmother who was murdered in the Holocaust, the organization expanded into a nationwide network of volunteers and services. Its contributions were recognized with numerous honors, including the Israel Prize in 1994, the President’s Volunteer Medal, and the Knesset Speaker’s Prize.

Lupolianski entered municipal politics in 1989 as a member of the Jerusalem City Council, where he held several senior roles. After Ehud Olmert resigned in February 2003, Lupolianski was appointed mayor on behalf of United Torah Judaism. He later won election for a full term that June and remained in office until November 2008.

A longtime resident of Yerushalayim’s Sanhedria Murchevet neighborhood, Lupolianski is survived by his wife, Michal, their 12 children, and an extensive family. His son, Rabbi Yitzchak Lupolianski, heads the Nachalas Yair yeshiva in the community of Metzad in Gush Etzion.