The Media Line: Rabbi Uri Lupolianski, Yad Sarah Founder, Jerusalem’s First Ultra-Orthodox Mayor, Dies at 74 

Rabbi Uri Lupolianski, Yad Sarah Founder, Jerusalem’s First Ultra-Orthodox Mayor, Dies at 74 

By The Media Line Staff 

Rabbi Uri Lupolianski, who built Yad Sarah into Israel’s largest volunteer network and later served as Jerusalem’s first ultra-Orthodox mayor, died just after midnight Thursday in the capital. He was 74. His family was at his bedside when he passed away. 

Yad Sarah said the organization is grieving the loss of the man who conceived its model of nationwide medical-equipment lending and spent five decades expanding it into a central pillar of Israel’s health-support infrastructure. Leaders described the moment as one of profound sadness for thousands of volunteers and for the many Israelis who relied on services he created. 

Lupolianski was born in Haifa on Aug. 29, 1951, the 27th of Av in the Hebrew calendar, to Rabbi Yaakov and Malka. He studied in the HaNegev and Torah Ohr yeshivot (Jewish learning institutions) and became active early on in programs supporting immigrant children. He later volunteered as an IDF paramedic. 

After marrying his wife Michal, the couple settled first in Safed before moving to Jerusalem, where in 1976 they set up what became the world’s first medical equipment lending center. That small initiative grew rapidly and eventually formed the core of Yad Sarah, which today includes 127 branches and some 7,500 volunteers. 

His leadership shaped a wide range of additional services, from transportation assistance to specialized care programs for seniors and homebound individuals. He was widely viewed as a driving force behind a series of social and healthcare innovations that changed how Israelis received support outside institutional settings. In 1994 he accepted the Israel Prize on behalf of the organization. He also received the Kaplan Prize for Efficiency, the Knesset Speaker’s Award, and the President’s Volunteer Prize. 

Lupolianski served as Jerusalem’s mayor from 2003 to 2008. 

Philip Bendheim, a Yad Sarah board member and longtime friend, said, “Rabbi Uri dedicated his entire life to giving and helping people across Israel. His vision for Yad Sarah has driven the organization for 50 years and so we will honor his memory by continuing his truly exceptional work. He will be deeply missed by all that knew him.”