Emma Talmi
Encyclopedia
Emma Talmi was an Israel
i politician who served as a member of the Knesset
for Mapam
and the Alignment
between 1955 and 1969.
in the Russian Empire
(now in Poland
), Talmi joined Hashomer Hatzair
at the age of 15, and in 1924, at the age of 19, made aliyah
to Mandate Palestine on her own. She worked in agriculture, building and road paving, but was frequently unemployed and ill. She eventually found a job working at a Kindergarten near Haifa, living in a hut belonging to the Kindergarten.
In 1927 she joined kibbutz Mishmar HaEmek
, where she worked as a kindergarten teacher. In 1931 she returned to Poland as a Hashomer Hatzair emissary, and met her future husband Meir
. They later had three children, Yigal (1934), Yehuda (1940) and Binyamin (1946). She became a member of Kibbutz Artzi movement, working in its Department of Social Affairs. She also served as a member of the Assembly of Representatives.
A member of Mapam
, she was elected to the Knesset on its list in 1955
, and was re-elected in 1959
, 1961
, and 1965
, after which she served as a Deputy Speaker. She lost her seat in the 1969 elections
, shortly after Mapam had joined the Alignment alliance. Whilst a member of the Knesset, Talmi pushed for equal rights for women, education and the underprivileged in society, as well as against religious coercion. Her speaking talent led to her being dubbed the "Knesset Nightingale" by Menachem Begin
. Her husband Meir was later a member of the Knesset for the Alignment and Mapam from 1974 until 1981.
She died in 2004 at the age of 99.
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 Mapam
Mapam
Mapam was a political party in Israel and is one of the ancestors of the modern-day Meretz party.-History:Mapam was formed by a January 1948 merger of the Hashomer Hatzair Workers Party and Ahdut HaAvoda Poale Zion Movement. The party was originally Marxist-Zionist in its outlook and represented...
and the Alignment
Alignment (political party)
The Alignment was an alliance of the major left-wing parties in Israel between the 1960s and 1990s. It was established in 1965 as an alliance of Mapai and Ahdut HaAvoda but was dissolved three years later when the two parties and Rafi formally merged into the Israeli Labor Party...
between 1955 and 1969.
Biography
Born in WarsawWarsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
in the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
(now in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
), Talmi joined Hashomer Hatzair
Hashomer Hatzair
Hashomer Hatzair is a Socialist–Zionist youth movement founded in 1913 in Galicia, Austria-Hungary, and was also the name of the group's political party in the Yishuv in the pre-1948 British Mandate of Palestine...
at the age of 15, and in 1924, at the age of 19, 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 Mandate Palestine on her own. She worked in agriculture, building and road paving, but was frequently unemployed and ill. She eventually found a job working at a Kindergarten near Haifa, living in a hut belonging to the Kindergarten.
In 1927 she joined kibbutz Mishmar HaEmek
Mishmar HaEmek
Mishmar HaEmek is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located in the western Jezreel Valley, it falls under the jurisdiction of Megiddo Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 964....
, where she worked as a kindergarten teacher. In 1931 she returned to Poland as a Hashomer Hatzair emissary, and met her future husband Meir
Meir Talmi
Meir Talmi was an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for the Alignment and Mapam between 1974 and 1981.-Biography:Born in Warsaw in the Russian Empire , Talmi joined Hashomer Hatzair during his youth, and was a member of the national leadership in Poland...
. They later had three children, Yigal (1934), Yehuda (1940) and Binyamin (1946). She became a member of Kibbutz Artzi movement, working in its Department of Social Affairs. She also served as a member of the Assembly of Representatives.
A member of Mapam
Mapam
Mapam was a political party in Israel and is one of the ancestors of the modern-day Meretz party.-History:Mapam was formed by a January 1948 merger of the Hashomer Hatzair Workers Party and Ahdut HaAvoda Poale Zion Movement. The party was originally Marxist-Zionist in its outlook and represented...
, she was elected to the Knesset on its list 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...
, 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....
, 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...
, and 1965
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...
, after which she served as a Deputy Speaker. She lost her seat in the 1969 elections
Israeli legislative election, 1969
Elections for the seventh Knesset were held in Israel on 28 October 1969. Voter turnout was 81.7%.-Results:¹ Meir Avizohar defected from the National List to the Alignment² Avner Shaki left the National Religious Party and remained a single MK...
, shortly after Mapam had joined the Alignment alliance. Whilst a member of the Knesset, Talmi pushed for equal rights for women, education and the underprivileged in society, as well as against religious coercion. Her speaking talent led to her being dubbed the "Knesset Nightingale" by Menachem Begin
Menachem Begin
' was a politician, founder of Likud and the sixth Prime Minister of the State of Israel. Before independence, he was the leader of the Zionist militant group Irgun, the Revisionist breakaway from the larger Jewish paramilitary organization Haganah. He proclaimed a revolt, on 1 February 1944,...
. Her husband Meir was later a member of the Knesset for the Alignment and Mapam from 1974 until 1981.
She died in 2004 at the age of 99.