Haim Drukman
Encyclopedia
Haim Meir Drukman born 15 November 1932) is an Israel
i Orthodox
Rabbi
and former politician. Today he serves as Rosh Yeshiva
of Ohr Etzion Yeshiva
, the head of the Bnei Akiva
Youth Movement and Center for Bnei Akiva Yeshivot.
in Poland
(today in Ukraine
), Drukman made aliyah
to Mandate Palestine in 1944 after being saved from the Holocaust
. He studied in the Aliyah Institute in Petah Tikva
, continuing in the Bnei Akiva
Yeshiva in Kfar Haroeh
. He then transferred to the Mercaz HaRav
yeshiva in Jerusalem where he became a student of Zvi Yehuda Kook
. He also served in the Israel Defense Forces
in the a Bnei Akiva gar'in in the Nahal
. In 1952 he became a member of Bnei Akiva's National Directorate, and from 1955 until 1956 he served as an emissary of the organisation to the United States
.
In 1964 he founded the Ohr Etzion B'nei Akiva Yeshiva Highschool, where he remains Rosh Yeshiva. In 1977 he established the Ohr Etzion Yeshiva, which for many years was the largest Hesder Yeshiva in the country, and in 1995 founded the Ohr MeOfir academy for highschool graduates of the Ethiopian community. Since 1996 he has also been the head of the Center for Bnei Akiva Yeshivot and ulpanot in Israel.
He played a leading role in the establishment of Gush Emunim
.
on the National Religious Party
's list. He was re-elected in 1981
and was appointed Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs on 11 August. However, an opponent of the Camp David Accords
, he lost the post on 2 March 1982. On 10 October 1983 he broke away from the NRP and attempted to form a Knesset faction by the name of Zionist Religious Camp, but was refused permission to do so by the House Committee. Instead, he sat as a single MK for the remainder of the Knesset term.
In the run-up to the 1984 elections
he and Avraham Verdiger
formed a new party, Morasha
. It won two seats, taken by the two founders. Although the party joined the government, neither Drukman or Verdiger were given cabinet posts. On 29 July 1986 Drukman left Morasha and returned to the NRP.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i Orthodox
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
Rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
and former politician. Today he serves as Rosh Yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva, , , is the title given to the dean of a Talmudical academy . It is made up of the Hebrew words rosh — meaning head, and yeshiva — a school of religious Jewish education...
of Ohr Etzion Yeshiva
Yeshivat Or Etzion
Yeshivat Or Etzion is a Hesder Yeshiva, religious high school, and religious army preparation high school. It is located in Merkaz Shapira, Israel. It was founded in 1978. Its Rosh yeshiva is Rabbi Haim Drukman....
, the head of the Bnei Akiva
Bnei Akiva
Bnei Akiva is the largest religious Zionist youth movement in the world, with over 125,000 members in 37 countries. It was established in Mandate Palestine in 1929.-History:...
Youth Movement and Center for Bnei Akiva Yeshivot.
Early life
Born in KutyKuty
Kuty is a town in Ukraine, on the Cheremosh river, located in the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast. It is notable as one of the historical centres and the namesake of a historical region of Pokuttya. Population is 4,272 ....
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 Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
), Drukman 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 in 1944 after being saved from the Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
. He studied in the Aliyah Institute in Petah Tikva
Petah Tikva
Petah Tikva known as Em HaMoshavot , is a city in the Center District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv.According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, at the end of 2009, the city's population stood at 209,600. The population density is approximately...
, continuing in the Bnei Akiva
Bnei Akiva
Bnei Akiva is the largest religious Zionist youth movement in the world, with over 125,000 members in 37 countries. It was established in Mandate Palestine in 1929.-History:...
Yeshiva in Kfar Haroeh
Kfar Haroeh
Kfar Haroeh is a religious moshav in central Israel. Located in the coastal plain between Hadera and Netanya, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hefer Valley Regional Council. In 2007 it had a population of 1,500....
. He then transferred to the Mercaz HaRav
Mercaz haRav
Mercaz HaRav , more properly, Mercaz HaRav Kook ), is a national-religious yeshiva in Jerusalem, Israel, founded in 1924 by Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook. It has become synonymous with his teachings....
yeshiva in Jerusalem where he became a student of Zvi Yehuda Kook
Zvi Yehuda Kook
Zvi Yehuda Kook was a rabbi, leader of Religious Zionism and Rosh Yeshiva of the Mercaz HaRav yeshiva...
. He also served in the Israel Defense Forces
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
in the a Bnei Akiva gar'in in the Nahal
Nahal
Nahal is an Israel Defense Forces infantry brigade. Historically, it refers to a program that combines military service and establishment of new agricultural settlements, often in outlying areas...
. In 1952 he became a member of Bnei Akiva's National Directorate, and from 1955 until 1956 he served as an emissary of the organisation to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
In 1964 he founded the Ohr Etzion B'nei Akiva Yeshiva Highschool, where he remains Rosh Yeshiva. In 1977 he established the Ohr Etzion Yeshiva, which for many years was the largest Hesder Yeshiva in the country, and in 1995 founded the Ohr MeOfir academy for highschool graduates of the Ethiopian community. Since 1996 he has also been the head of the Center for Bnei Akiva Yeshivot and ulpanot in Israel.
He played a leading role in the establishment of Gush Emunim
Gush Emunim
Gush Emunim was an Israeli messianic and political movement committed to establishing Jewish settlements in the West Bank. While not formally established as an organization until 1974 in the wake of the Yom Kippur War, Gush Emunim sprang out of the conquests of the Six-Day War in 1967, encouraging...
.
Political career
He was first elected to the Knesset in the 1977 electionsIsraeli legislative election, 1977
The Elections for the ninth Knesset were held on 17 May 1977. For the first time in Israeli political history, the right-wing, led by Likud, won the election, ending almost 30 years of rule by the left-wing Alignment and its predecessor, Mapai...
on the National Religious Party
National Religious Party
The National Religious Party ) was a political party in Israel representing the religious Zionist movement. Formed in 1956, at the time of its dissolution in 2008, it was the second oldest surviving party in the country after Agudat Yisrael, and was part of every government coalition until 1992...
's list. He was re-elected in 1981
Israeli legislative election, 1981
Elections for the tenth Knesset were held in Israel on 30 June 1981. Despite last minute polls suggesting a victory for Shimon Peres's Alignment, Menachem Begin's Likud won by just one seat...
and was appointed Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs on 11 August. However, an opponent of the Camp David Accords
Camp David Accords
The Camp David Accords were signed by Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin on September 17, 1978, following thirteen days of secret negotiations at Camp David. The two framework agreements were signed at the White House, and were witnessed by United States...
, he lost the post on 2 March 1982. On 10 October 1983 he broke away from the NRP and attempted to form a Knesset faction by the name of Zionist Religious Camp, but was refused permission to do so by the House Committee. Instead, he sat as a single MK for the remainder of the Knesset term.
In the run-up to the 1984 elections
Israeli legislative election, 1984
Elections for the eleventh Knesset were held in Israel on 23 July 1984. Voter turnout was 78.8%. The results saw the Alignment return to being the largest party in the Knesset, a status it had lost in 1977...
he and Avraham Verdiger
Avraham Verdiger
Avraham Verdiger is a former Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for several ultra-Orthodox parties between 1965 and 1996.-Biography:Born in Łódź in Poland, Verdiger made aliyah as a Zionist returnee to Mandate Palestine in 1947...
formed a new party, Morasha
Morasha
Morasha , later known as Morasha-Poalei Agudat Yisrael was a small, short-lived religious political party in Israel during the 1980s.-Background:...
. It won two seats, taken by the two founders. Although the party joined the government, neither Drukman or Verdiger were given cabinet posts. On 29 July 1986 Drukman left Morasha and returned to the NRP.
Civil service
In 1990 Drukman was appointed director of the newly created State Conversion Authority, that provides services to candidates for conversion to Judaism. Despite some controversy in 2008, he remains in his post, which he has served for over 25 years.External links
- http://bauk.org/about-bnei-akiva/role-models/rav-drukman/ Bnei Akiva
- Haim Drukman Prime Minister's Office