Eli Nacht

Nacht was born in Ukraine.[1] A 2022 103FM profile described him as a lawyer serving as Ashdod's deputy mayor and reported that he had previously worked with Vladimir Putin's government.[1] The profile was published while he was at a refugee camp in Poland, where he said he was trying to assist people displaced by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.[1]

Nacht's public profile in Ashdod first emerged around local religious-secular tensions. In January 2018, identified in press coverage as a social activist, he spoke at a demonstration opposing the closure of businesses on Shabbat, arguing that Ashdod stood at a turning point between remaining a pluralistic city and moving toward the character of cities with stronger ultra-Orthodox influence.[2] He criticized the municipality for issuing warnings and fines to businesses operating on Shabbat while other Israeli cities had moved to protect such businesses through local bylaws.[2]

Later in 2018, Nacht stood as a candidate for Ashdod's municipal council, chairing the Atid faction.[3] He went on to serve as Ashdod's deputy mayor[4] and, ahead of the 2024 local elections, was listed as chair of the Atid Ashdod list and as a candidate for mayor.[5]

A Ynet author biography identifies Nacht as president of the Center for Legal Aid to New Immigrants.[6] In July 2022, he publicly criticized the Interior Ministry's handling of new immigrants' travel documents, noting that immigrants were issued temporary travel documents rather than passports and that their continued presence in Israel was verified only at year's end.[7]

In August 2026, a Jerusalem Post article under Nacht's byline identified him in its author biography as an expert in international law. In the opinion article, he proposed establishing a permanent United States military base in Gaza as a mechanism to oversee demilitarization and deepen U.S.–Israel strategic cooperation.[4] His preferred sequence was: "First, demilitarization. Then security. Then reconstruction. Only then, prosperity."[4]

Nacht has been a recurring public critic of policies he regards as obstructing Jewish immigration to Israel. In 2022, when the Interior Ministry proposed requiring Law of Return applicants to declare an intention to relocate to Israel immediately and permanently, he objected that the desire to settle in Israel does not necessarily mean such a move must be immediate or permanent, characterizing the proposal as part of a broader pattern of restricting aliyah.[8]

In a Ynet opinion article, Nacht argued that Israel's treatment of new immigrants represented a "historical missed opportunity."[6] He pointed to bureaucratic delays, difficulty opening bank accounts or transferring lawful funds, and waits of at least six months to begin ulpan language study as factors that can make it harder for immigrants to remain in the country.[6] He also pushed back on claims that Russian immigrants arrive primarily to collect an absorption basket and then leave, asserting that recipients must be present in Israel to receive the benefit and that immigrants who live elsewhere do not draw Israeli benefits when abroad.[6] He suggested reframing such immigrants as potential ambassadors for Israel through tourism, property purchases, or business activity.[6]

In 2022, Nacht traveled to a refugee camp in Poland following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, where he described refugees waiting for hours or days and organizations from across Europe delivering supplies, warm clothes, and food.[1] The Jewish Agency, he said, was covering hotel costs for some, while private accommodation in the city was largely unavailable except at prices of 6,000–7,000 shekels per night.[1] Among the people he recalled meeting there was an 84-year-old woman who remembered being driven from her home by the Nazis and who crossed the border with nothing.[1]

The most widely covered controversy of Nacht's career arose from a campaign video released under the Atid faction's banner during the 2018 Ashdod municipal elections. The video depicted a secular family navigating a satirical imagined future in which ultra-Orthodox religious rules had reshaped daily life — including schooling, shopping hours separated by sex, and a phone that stopped working when Shabbat began.[9] Nacht described the video as satire intended to motivate secular residents to vote.[3] Local journalist Shai Malul and ultra-Orthodox activist Shneur Elmaliach accused the video of inflaming tensions and inciting against the ultra-Orthodox community.[9] Critics more broadly accused Nacht and the Atid faction of running a hateful campaign employing antisemitic motifs — an accusation Nacht rejected, maintaining that the video's message was grounded in reality.[3]

A separate layer of controversy emerged from reporting by Globes, which stated that the video's script closely resembled a Russian political propaganda video produced that year in support of Vladimir Putin.[10] Tens of thousands of viewers watched the Atid Ashdod clip; in the same account, Nacht reiterated that the video was satirical and aimed at encouraging civic participation.[10] The resemblance claim and the accusations of incitement were attributed characterizations rather than uncontested findings.[9][10]

Nacht's policy positions on immigration and on U.S. strategic involvement in Gaza are arguments attributed to him in opinion and news contexts and do not represent adopted policy or independently verified conclusions.[4][6]