Last update - 00:00 18/01/2008
Uzi Cohen, renowned Likud activist, dies aged 55
By Haaretz Service
Uzi Cohen, deputy mayor of Ranaana and long-time Likud party activist died Wednesday evening of an apparent heart attack. He was 55 years old.
Cohen, long an influential member of the Likud Central Committee, was born in 1952 in Moshav Tal Shahar and moved with his family to Ranaana at the age of two.
When he turned 16, he joined a political party that would later become the Likud.
In 1990, Cohen became the deputy mayor of Ranaana under mayor Ze'ev Bielski. After Bielski was appointed head of the Jewish Agency, Cohen was appointed interim mayor of Ranaana until elections were held in which Cohen lost, and once again served as deputy mayor.
Cohen was a well known public figure in Israel, mainly due to his work with the Likud and his larger than life persona. He would often quoted in the media and boasted of his ability to "arrange jobs" for friend and confidants through his position within the Likud party.
Cohen was also known for several large scale public works programs that he championed in Ranaana, including the building of a canal that he said would turn the city into "the Venice of the Middle East."
In recent years, Cohen became a household name after he was spoofed on 'A Wonderful Country,' a prime-time satiricial television show on Channel 2 Television.
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