Zevulun Hammer was born in Haifa, where he attended the "Yavneh" religious school. He later graduated in Judaic Studies and Education at Bar-Ilan University. As a young man, Hammer was active in the Bnei Akiva movement, later becoming chairman of the Bar Ilan Students Federation, and a presidency member of the World Organisation of Jewish Students.
Hammer's political career began when he was elected chairman of the NRP's Youth and Younger Generation Authority. He became one of the most outstanding young men of the NRP, organising them as a division, headed by him, within the party, and leading the young generation's party revolution, which changed the face of the NRP. After the Yom Kippur War, Hammer became Minister of Welfare in Yitzhak Rabin's government.
1977 brought a change of regime, and Hammer was appointed Minister of Education in Menahem Begin's government, a first for the NRP. He developed the education system, emphasising the expansion of religious education. Hammer retained his post under Begin's second government and again in Yitzhak Shamir's government, until the 1984 elections. Following the 1998 elections, Hammer became Minister of Education and Religions. He returned to the Ministry of Education when the Benjamin Netanyahu government was formed.
Hammer first became a Knesset member in 1969. In the Seventh Knesset, he served as Deputy Minister of Education and Culture. In the Eighth Knesset, he was a member of the Foreign Affairs & Defence, Education & Culture committees, later becoming Minister of Welfare. In the Eleventh and Thirteenth Knessets, when the NRP was in the opposition, Hammer was a member of the Foreign Affairs & Defence committee.
In 1996, following Benjamin Netanyahu's electoral victory, Zevulun Hammer returned to the Ministry of Education and Culture. He was even then prey to the malignancy that that ended his life this morning.
Published by Israel's Business Arena January 20, 1998