Yoram Cohen

Director of the Shin Bet

Yoram Cohen

Yoram Cohen became director of the Shin Bet on May 15 - the 63rd anniversary of Israel's independence. Cohen was born in 1960; grew up in Tel Aviv; graduated the "Midreshet Noam" yeshiva (religious) high school in Pardes Hanna; living in Jerusalem since 1983.

Military background: Golani Reconnaissance. Professional career: (started at the bottom, worked his way to the top) 1982 - Security guard for case officers in Judea (West Bank) and Lebanon; completed Arabic language program and case officers course. 1983-1989 - Case officer in the Binyamin district (West Bank) as well as Lebanon (1984). 1989-1991 – Case officer in Ramallah (West Bank). 1991 - Head of operations desk in Judea. 1996 - Head of counter-terror department in Judea. 1999-2001 – Deputy head of Arab-Iranian counter-terror section. 2001 - Head of Arab-Iranian counter-terror section. 2003 - Head of Jerusalem area, Judea, and Samaria. 2005-2008 - deputy director of Shin Bet; head of policy formulation and decision-making in force building and the use of designated force; and senior partner in decisions on organizational issues. 2009-2010 – project head for the formulation of the organization's management concept and technological directions for the coming decade.

Education: B.A. (political science) (1996) and M.A. (political science) (2001) Haifa University; graduate of National Security College (1995-1996); graduate of senior managers program at The Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania) (2008).

Family status: married + five.

Miscellaneous: First Shin Bet director to come from a religious background.