Binyamin Arditi
Encyclopedia
Binyamin Arditi was an Israel
i politician who served as a member of the Knesset
for Herut
and Gahal
between 1955 and 1965.
, Arditi attended high school in Sofia
in Bulgaria
. In 1917 he became a member of the central committee of the Zionist Organization of Bulgaria
, on which he remained until 1923. He also chaired the organisation's Sofia branch. In 1925 he established the first Bulgarian Revisionist Zionist
movement, which he chaired until 1935.
In 1944 he was arrested for Zionist activities, and two years later was arrested again by the communist authorities for encouraging emigration to Palestine
. Between 1947 and 1949 he served as the Revisionst Zionism representative in the Bulgarian Eretz Yisrael office.
In 1949 he made aliyah
to Israel, where he became a member of the Herut central committee. In 1955
he was elected to the Knesset on the party's list, and was re-elected in 1959
and 1961
, before losing his seat in the 1965 elections
.
Arditi also published several books; The Role of King Boris in the Expulsion of Bulgarian Jewry (1952), Bulgarian Jews Under the Nazis (1962), Bulgarian Jewry – the Sumla Community (1968) and Famous Bulgarian Jews (1971).
He died in 1981 at the age of 83.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i politician who served as a member of the Knesset
Knesset
The Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.-Role in Israeli Government :The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset passes all laws, elects the President and Prime Minister , approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government...
for Herut
Herut
Herut was the major right-wing political party in Israel from the 1940s until its formal merger into Likud in 1988, and an adherent of Revisionist Zionism.-History:...
and Gahal
Gahal
Gahal , lit. Herut-Liberals Bloc) was the major right-wing political faction in Israel led by Menachem Begin from its founding in 1965 until it merged into Likud in 1973.-Background:...
between 1955 and 1965.
Biography
Born in ViennaVienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Arditi attended high school in Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
. In 1917 he became a member of the central committee of the Zionist Organization of Bulgaria
World Zionist Organization
The World Zionist Organization , or WZO, was founded as the Zionist Organization , or ZO, in 1897 at the First Zionist Congress, held from August 29 to August 31 in Basel, Switzerland...
, on which he remained until 1923. He also chaired the organisation's Sofia branch. In 1925 he established the first Bulgarian Revisionist Zionist
Revisionist Zionism
Revisionist Zionism is a nationalist faction within the Zionist movement. It is the founding ideology of the non-religious right in Israel, and was the chief ideological competitor to the dominant socialist Labor Zionism...
movement, which he chaired until 1935.
In 1944 he was arrested for Zionist activities, and two years later was arrested again by the communist authorities for encouraging emigration to Palestine
Aliyah
Aliyah is the immigration of Jews to the Land of Israel . It is a basic tenet of Zionist ideology. The opposite action, emigration from Israel, is referred to as yerida . The return to the Holy Land has been a Jewish aspiration since the Babylonian exile...
. Between 1947 and 1949 he served as the Revisionst Zionism representative in the Bulgarian Eretz Yisrael office.
In 1949 he made aliyah
Aliyah
Aliyah is the immigration of Jews to the Land of Israel . It is a basic tenet of Zionist ideology. The opposite action, emigration from Israel, is referred to as yerida . The return to the Holy Land has been a Jewish aspiration since the Babylonian exile...
to Israel, where he became a member of the Herut central committee. In 1955
Israeli legislative election, 1955
Elections for the third Knesset were held in Israel on 26 July 1955. Voter turnout was 82.8%.-Results:Mapai retained its plurality in the Knesset, although its share of the vote dropped by 5.1 and its share of seats dropped from 47 to 40...
he was elected to the Knesset on the party's list, and was re-elected in 1959
Israeli legislative election, 1959
Elections for the fourth Knesset were held in Israel on 3 November 1959. Voter turnout was 81.5%.-Results:¹ The General Zionists and the Progressive Party merged to form the Liberal Party....
and 1961
Israeli legislative election, 1961
Elections for the fifth Knesset were held in Israel on 15 August 1961. Voter turnout was 81.6%.-Results:¹ Eight MKs broke away from Mapai to establish Rafi² Herut and the Liberal Party merged to form Gahal...
, before losing his seat in the 1965 elections
Israeli legislative election, 1965
Elections for the sixth Knesset were held in Israel on 1 November 1965. Voter turnout was 85.9%.-Background:Prior to the elections, two major alliances were formed; Mapai and Ahdut HaAvoda united to form the Alignment, whilst Herut and the Liberal Party had formed the Gahal alliance towards the end...
.
Arditi also published several books; The Role of King Boris in the Expulsion of Bulgarian Jewry (1952), Bulgarian Jews Under the Nazis (1962), Bulgarian Jewry – the Sumla Community (1968) and Famous Bulgarian Jews (1971).
He died in 1981 at the age of 83.