Esther Vilenska
Encyclopedia
Esther Vilenska was an Israel
i communist
politician, journalist and author who served as a member of the Knesset
for Maki
between 1951 and 1959 and then again from 1961 to 1965.
in Poland
(today in Lithuania
), Vilenska was active in Hashomer Hatzair
in Vilnius
, the city in which she attended high school, before emigrating to
Mandate Palestine in 1938. She attended the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
, gaining a BA in sociology and an MA in History.
in 1940, and in 1943 was appointed editor of the newspaper Kol HaAm
(lit. Voice of the People), becoming chief editor in 1947. In 1944 she was elected to the House of Representatives.
She joined the politbureau of Maki
when it was formed upon Israeli independence in 1948, and in 1949 became a member of executive committee of the Histadrut
, a role she served in until 1973. Also in 1949 she was elected onto Tel Aviv
's city council.
She was elected to the Knesset
in 1951, stepping down from Tel Aviv city council, serving until 1959, and then again from 1961 until 1965. Her tenure in the Knesset was marked by outspoken opposition to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, vigorous defense of civil liberties and a desire to improve economic and social conditions for women.
In 1973 she left Maki and founded a new party, Aki , lit. Israeli Communist Opposition), serving as editor of its monthly paper.
weekly published in New York. Vilenska's articles focused on identifying trends within the Israeli left and finding solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but often delved into cultural and international issues, such as the jailing of the African-American communist activist Angela Davis. Vilenska published numerous pamphlets and several books in Hebrew, Russian, Yiddish and English. Vilenska's labor history, Confrontation and Unity within the Labor Movement (1889-1923), was published posthumously in 1976.
in the 1940s. Vilenska later married Zvi Breidstein, also an editor of Kol HaAm. Vilenska and Breidstein lived in the Kiryat Shalom section of Tel Aviv
and had two children. They were married until Vilenska's death in 1975.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
politician, journalist and author 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 Maki
Maki (historical political party)
Maki was a communist political party in Israel. It is not the same party as the modern day Maki, which split from it during the 1960s and later assumed its name.-History:...
between 1951 and 1959 and then again from 1961 to 1965.
Biography
Born in VilniusVilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
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...
(today in Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
), Vilenska was active in 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...
in Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
, the city in which she attended high school, before emigrating to
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...
Mandate Palestine in 1938. She attended the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J...
, gaining a BA in sociology and an MA in History.
Political career
Vilenska joined the Palestine Communist PartyPalestine Communist Party
The Palestine Communist Party was a political party in British Mandate of Palestine formed in 1923 through the merger of the Palestinian Communist Party and the Communist Party of Palestine...
in 1940, and in 1943 was appointed editor of the newspaper Kol HaAm
Kol HaAm
Kol HaAm was a Hebrew language newspaper in Mandate Palestine and Israel, owned by the Israeli Communist Party.-History:Established in 1937, the paper appointed Communist Party member Esther Vilenska editor in 1943, and chief editor in 1947...
(lit. Voice of the People), becoming chief editor in 1947. In 1944 she was elected to the House of Representatives.
She joined the politbureau of Maki
Maki (historical political party)
Maki was a communist political party in Israel. It is not the same party as the modern day Maki, which split from it during the 1960s and later assumed its name.-History:...
when it was formed upon Israeli independence in 1948, and in 1949 became a member of executive committee of the Histadrut
Histadrut
HaHistadrut HaKlalit shel HaOvdim B'Eretz Yisrael , known as the Histadrut, is Israel's organization of trade unions. Established in December 1920 during the British Mandate for Palestine, it became one of the most powerful institutions of the State of Israel.-History:The Histadrut was founded in...
, a role she served in until 1973. Also in 1949 she was elected onto Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
's city council.
She was elected to 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...
in 1951, stepping down from Tel Aviv city council, serving until 1959, and then again from 1961 until 1965. Her tenure in the Knesset was marked by outspoken opposition to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, vigorous defense of civil liberties and a desire to improve economic and social conditions for women.
In 1973 she left Maki and founded a new party, Aki , lit. Israeli Communist Opposition), serving as editor of its monthly paper.
Journalism
In addition to her political work, Vilenska was also a widely published writer. She was a regular contributor to leftist publications around the world, including the Saturday Morning Freiheit, a Yiddish languageYiddish language
Yiddish is a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, spoken throughout the world. It developed as a fusion of German dialects with Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic languages and traces of Romance languages...
weekly published in New York. Vilenska's articles focused on identifying trends within the Israeli left and finding solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but often delved into cultural and international issues, such as the jailing of the African-American communist activist Angela Davis. Vilenska published numerous pamphlets and several books in Hebrew, Russian, Yiddish and English. Vilenska's labor history, Confrontation and Unity within the Labor Movement (1889-1923), was published posthumously in 1976.
Personal life
Vilenska met and married fellow Maki leader, Meir VilnerMeir Vilner
Meir Vilner was an Israeli communist politician and Jewish leader of the Communist Party of Israel , which consisted primarily of Israeli Arabs...
in the 1940s. Vilenska later married Zvi Breidstein, also an editor of Kol HaAm. Vilenska and Breidstein lived in the Kiryat Shalom section of Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
and had two children. They were married until Vilenska's death in 1975.