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Moshe Bar Siman Tov

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Israeli economist (born 1976)
Moshe Bar Siman Tov
משה בר סימן-טוב‎
Personal details
Born (1976-10-21) October 21, 1976 (age 48)

Moshe Bar Siman Tov (Hebrew: משה בר סימן-טוב)(born 21 October 1976) is an Israeli economist and public figure, currently serving as the Director-General of the Ministry of Health. He previously held positions as Deputy Budget Director at the Ministry of Finance and as Economic Attaché at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C.

Biography

Bar Siman Tov, often nicknamed "Barsi," was born in Yehud and grew up in Holon and the settlement of Hashmonaim. His parents are of Turkish descent. His paternal uncle, Yaakov Bar Siman Tov, was a Mossad agent who was murdered in Paris in 1982.

He attended Naot Shoshanim Elementary School and later Yeshurun School. For high school, he studied at the Bnei Akiva Yeshiva Adar'et in Bat Yam, transferring after one year to Yavneh High School.

He served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in the Artillery Corps.

In 2002, he completed a bachelor's degree in Economics and Business Administration at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In 2004, he earned a master's degree in Business Administration with a specialization in Finance.

During his master's studies, he began working as a referent for employment and welfare matters in the Budget Department of the Ministry of Finance. In 2006, he was appointed Welfare Coordinator at the National Insurance Institute, and in 2008, he became the Health Coordinator. During this period, he was a member of the Health Basket Committee.

In February 2010, he was appointed Deputy Budget Director at the Ministry of Finance, responsible for the budgets of health, education, employment, welfare, and national insurance. During his tenure, he was involved in resolving the doctors' strike in Israel (2011) and drafting a collective agreement for doctors in the public sector. He was also involved in implementing the "Oz LeTmura" reform in the Ministry of Education.

Bar Siman Tov also served as a director at Mifal HaPayis and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute.

In August 2014, he was appointed as the Economic Attaché at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C.

Yaakov Litzman and Moshe Bar Siman Tov

Director-General of the Ministry of Health

Bar Siman Tov talks with Major General Tamir Hayman at a ceremony to mark the end of activity at the National Control Center for the Fight against Corona, May 2020

After the establishment of Israel's 34th government in 2015, Deputy Minister of Health Yaakov Litzman requested that Bar Siman Tov return from Washington to serve as Director-General of the Ministry of Health. He assumed the role in July 2015. His appointment sparked opposition from the Israel Medical Association, both because he was the first Director-General without a medical background and due to his positions and conduct during his tenure in the Budget Department. Following the approval of his appointment, the Israel Medical Association filed a petition with the Supreme Court against it. The petition was rejected, and Justice Elyakim Rubinstein remarked: "One can only hope that the experiment will succeed, and despite the problematic aspects, the new Director-General’s abilities in health economics and regulation will benefit the healthcare system and the public."

During his tenure, Bar Siman Tov emphasized preventive medicine and public health promotion. Among other initiatives, he collaborated with Minister Litzman to implement the food labeling reform, which began in 2017 and took effect in January 2020. As part of this reform, food companies were required to label products to warn consumers about high levels of sugar, saturated fat, and sodium. Bar Siman Tov noted that Israel's unfavorable ranking in the OECD report on childhood obesity accelerated the reform. He stated, "There were quite a few times when the reform was one and a half feet in the grave—everyone opposed and vetoed it, and in the end, thanks to the minister's political determination, we managed to complete it."

During the outbreak of the coronavirus in Israel, Bar Siman Tov played a central role in managing and addressing the crisis. As early as 2 February, he signed an order to address the virus, which was updated as the outbreak spread to more countries. From March 2020, Bar Siman Tov frequently appeared in the media to provide information and guidelines to the public.

On 23 March 2020, dozens of department and clinic managers published a demand to replace Bar Siman Tov with a physician. Following a critical article published about him in the newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth on 23 April 2020, which included claims that he was implementing overly aggressive lockdown measures, the Director-General of the Ministry of Finance, Shai Babad, and the Director-General of the Ministry for Social Equality, Avi Cohen Scali, issued statements of support for Bar Siman Tov.

On 12 May, ahead of the swearing-in of the 35th government and the replacement of Health Minister Litzman with Juli Edelstein, and after a significant decrease in the number of new coronavirus infections, Bar Siman Tov announced his resignation from his position. He stated that he would remain in the role until an "orderly handover" to his successor, Prof. Hezi Levy. In October 2020, he joined the INSS as a visiting research fellow.

Upon leaving his position as Minister of Health, Litzman claimed that Bar Siman Tov had created an overreaction to the coronavirus when he spoke in government meetings about concerns of 10,000 deaths. Litzman stated, "The Prime Minister accepted this exaggeration and responded to the director general's fears. According to this, I cannot complain to him because overall the situation is excellent. We mourn almost every soul lost, but in total, 250 died."

In response, Bar Siman Tov said, "I greatly respect Minister Litzman... and believe that throughout this process we acted wisely and also saved the lives of many thousands. I think that we as a society should be very proud of this achievement, and alongside that pride, we must be very careful of the complacency trap. It's not over; the danger is still here, and if we don't stick to the rules, it will return."

Following the rise in morbidity at the end of May, Bar Siman Tov presented the dilemma faced by decision-makers: "We want to maintain economic routine, but more important than that is to maintain health. We are in intense discussions with government ministries to maintain this balance."

Bar Siman Tov officially ended his role on 14 June and was succeeded by Prof. Hezi Levy. At the farewell ceremony, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remarked, "You expressed your opinion and stood your ground against waves of sometimes very cruel criticism. You did this quietly, with confidence, and with responsibility. Your contribution here is very important. It shows your dedication and responsibility to public life."

Bar Siman Tov acknowledged that there were mistakes in managing the crisis, saying, "We could have involved more stakeholders in decision-making. But to err is human, and in such an epidemic, it is inevitable. We can be proud of the achievements that prevented the deaths of many people. The best way to deal with the virus is humility. We need to remember that although we have learned a lot about corona, we still know very little."

After his retirement from the Ministry of Health

On 15 July 2020, it was reported that Prime Minister Netanyahu offered Bar Siman Tov a position to return to the public sector as the "Coronavirus Project Manager," responsible for leading the fight against the virus. However, Bar Siman Tov declined the offer. Eventually, Professor Ronni Gamzu was appointed to the role.

On 2 October 2020, he joined the Institute for National Security Studies as a Senior Visiting Researcher. In July 2021, he was appointed as a director at Nofar Energy and UpHealth.

In February 2022, he was appointed as the Deputy CEO of Clal Insurance.

Return to the Ministry of Health

On 14 December 2022, he resigned from his position at Clal Insurance after receiving an offer from Aryeh Deri, the designated Minister of Health, to serve as the Director-General of the Ministry. In January 2023, he began serving as Director-General of the Ministry of Health, initially under Minister Deri, followed by Minister Moshe Arbel, and later under Minister Uriel Buso.

Personal Life

Bar Siman Tov is married, the father of four, and lives in Jerusalem. He grew up in a religious family and came out together with his brother. His wife is religious.

References

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  2. "Moshe Bar-Siman-Tov – GigCapital". Retrieved 2024-08-19.
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  10. לוקש, אטילה שומפלבי ואלכסנדרה (2020-05-18). "בר סימן טוב עונה ב-ynet לליצמן: "מכבד אותו, הצלנו חיי אלפים"". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2024-08-15.
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  12. Yasuur, Meital. "פרופ' חזי לוי מונה למנכ"ל משרד הבריאות". www.israelhayom.co.il. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
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  19. פילוט, אדריאן (2013-12-05). "משה בר סימן טוב | סגן הממונה על התקציבים במשרד האוצר". Globes. Retrieved 2024-08-14.

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