Uri Lupolianski was an Israeli politician who served as Mayor of Jerusalem from 2003 to 2008.
Lupolianski was born in Haifa, studied at the Yavne School in Haifa, and afterwards at Yeshivat Hanegev. He served in the Israeli Defense Forces and taught at a religious school in Jerusalem.
In 1976, he established the Yad Sarah organization in memory of his grandmother, who died in the Holocaust, which lends out medical equipment and supplies, and provides a variety of services to the sick, elderly, and lonely. Today, Yad Sarah has some 6,000 volunteers working out of 96 branches countrywide, serving Jews, Muslims, Christians and Druze alike. For his work with Yad Sarah, Mr. Lupolianski has received numerous awards and prizes, including the Israel Prize, the President's Volunteer Prize, the Knesset Speaker’s Award, and the Kaplan Prize for Efficiency.
In 1989, Lupolianski was elected to the Jerusalem City Council. He held the positions of lead Deputy Mayor and Chairperson of the Planning and Building Committee, and was responsible for the Family Services and Community Portfolio. Additionally, he joined the National Building and Planning Committee and the Committee for the Development of Holy Places.
In June 2003, Lupolianski was elected Mayor of Jerusalem as a candidate of the United Torah Judaism political party. He succeeded Ehud Olmert and was succeeded by Nir Barkat in 2008.
Mr. Lupolianski was married to Michal (nee Schneller). The couple has 12 children and six grandchildren.
He died on January 8, 2026. He was 74.
Sources: Jerusalem Municipality.
“Former Jerusalem mayor Uri Lupolianski dies at 74,” Jerusalem Post, (January 8, 2026).