Mizrachi (political party)
Encyclopedia
Mizrachi was a political party in Israel
and is one of the ancestors of the modern-day National Religious Party
.
was founded in 1902 in Vilnius
as a religious Zionist
organisation. It also had a trade union, Hapoel HaMizrachi
, started in 1921. In the British Mandate of Palestine the movement developed into a political party, HaMizrachi.
For the elections for the first Knesset
it ran as part of a joint list called the United Religious Front
alongside the Hapoel HaMizrachi
, Agudat Yisrael and Poalei Agudat Yisrael. The group won 16 seats, of which the Mizrachi Party took four, making it the third largest party in the Knesset
after Mapai
and Mapam
. It was invited to join the coalition government by David Ben-Gurion
.
The United Religious Front played a major part in bringing down the first government due to it disagreement with Mapai over issues pertaining to education in the new immigrant camps and the religious education system, as well as its demands that the Supply and Rationing Ministry be closed and a businessman appointed as Minister for Trade and Industry. Ben-Gurion resigned on 15 October, 1950. When the problems had been solved two weeks later, he formed the second government with the same coalition partners and ministers as previously.
In the 1951 elections
the party ran for the Knesset alone. However, they won only two seats. They joined the coalition that made up the third government, and both its MKs were made ministers; David-Zvi Pinkas
became Minister of Transportation and Mordechai Nurock
became Minister of Postal Services. However, when the third government collapsed, both Pinkas and Nurock lost their ministerial positions, although the party remained in the coalitions of the fourth, fifth and sixth governments.
For the 1955 elections
the party joined forces with its ideological twin, Hapoel HaMizrachi, to form the National Religious Front. The new party won 11 seats (though only two were held by Mizrachi members), making it the fourth largest, and were again coalition partners in both governments of the third Knesset. In 1956 the union of the two parties was made permanent, and the name changed to the National Religious Party
.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and is one of the ancestors of the modern-day 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...
.
History
The Mizrachi movementMizrachi (Religious Zionism)
The Mizrachi is the name of the religious Zionist organization founded in 1902 in Vilnius at a world conference of religious Zionists called by Rabbi Yitzchak Yaacov Reines. Bnei Akiva, which was founded in 1929, is the youth movement associated with Mizrachi...
was founded in 1902 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...
as a religious Zionist
Religious Zionism
Religious Zionism is an ideology that combines Zionism and Jewish religious faith...
organisation. It also had a trade union, Hapoel HaMizrachi
Hapoel HaMizrachi
Hapoel HaMizrachi |Mizrachi]] Workers) was a political party and settlement movement in Israel and is one of the predecessors of the National Religious Party.-History:...
, started in 1921. In the British Mandate of Palestine the movement developed into a political party, HaMizrachi.
For the elections for the first Knesset
Israeli legislative election, 1949
Elections for the Constituent Assembly were held in newly independent Israel on 25 January 1949. Voter turnout was 86.9%. Two days after its first meeting on 14 February 1949, legislators voted to change the name of the body to the Knesset...
it ran as part of a joint list called the United Religious Front
United Religious Front
The United Religious Front was a political alliance of the four major religious parties in Israel, as well as the Union of Religious Independents, formed to fight the 1949 elections.-History:...
alongside the Hapoel HaMizrachi
Hapoel HaMizrachi
Hapoel HaMizrachi |Mizrachi]] Workers) was a political party and settlement movement in Israel and is one of the predecessors of the National Religious Party.-History:...
, Agudat Yisrael and Poalei Agudat Yisrael. The group won 16 seats, of which the Mizrachi Party took four, making it the third largest party in 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...
after Mapai
Mapai
Mapai was a left-wing political party in Israel, and was the dominant force in Israeli politics until its merger into the Israeli Labor Party in 1968...
and 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...
. It was invited to join the coalition government by David Ben-Gurion
David Ben-Gurion
' was the first Prime Minister of Israel.Ben-Gurion's passion for Zionism, which began early in life, led him to become a major Zionist leader and Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization in 1946...
.
The United Religious Front played a major part in bringing down the first government due to it disagreement with Mapai over issues pertaining to education in the new immigrant camps and the religious education system, as well as its demands that the Supply and Rationing Ministry be closed and a businessman appointed as Minister for Trade and Industry. Ben-Gurion resigned on 15 October, 1950. When the problems had been solved two weeks later, he formed the second government with the same coalition partners and ministers as previously.
In the 1951 elections
Israeli legislative election, 1951
Elections for the second Knesset were held in Israel on 30 July 1951. Voter turnout was 75.1%.-Results:¹ Rostam Bastuni, Avraham Berman and Moshe Sneh left Mapam and set up the Left Faction. Bastuni later returned to Mapam whilst Berman and Sneh joined Maki. Hannah Lamdan and David Livschitz left...
the party ran for the Knesset alone. However, they won only two seats. They joined the coalition that made up the third government, and both its MKs were made ministers; David-Zvi Pinkas
David-Zvi Pinkas
David-Zvi Pinkas was a Zionist activist and Israeli politician. A signatory of the Israeli declaration of independence, he was the country's third Minister of Transport.-Biography:...
became Minister of Transportation and Mordechai Nurock
Mordechai Nurock
Rabbi Dr Mordechai Nurock was a Jewish politician and minister who served in both the parliaments of Latvia and Israel. He was also Israel's first Minister of Postal Services , though he only held the post for just under two months.-Biography:Born in Tukums in the Russian Empire , Nurock attended...
became Minister of Postal Services. However, when the third government collapsed, both Pinkas and Nurock lost their ministerial positions, although the party remained in the coalitions of the fourth, fifth and sixth governments.
For the 1955 elections
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...
the party joined forces with its ideological twin, Hapoel HaMizrachi, to form the National Religious Front. The new party won 11 seats (though only two were held by Mizrachi members), making it the fourth largest, and were again coalition partners in both governments of the third Knesset. In 1956 the union of the two parties was made permanent, and the name changed to 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...
.
Knesset members
| Knesset (MKs) |
Knesset Members |
|---|---|
| 1st Israeli legislative election, 1949 Elections for the Constituent Assembly were held in newly independent Israel on 25 January 1949. Voter turnout was 86.9%. Two days after its first meeting on 14 February 1949, legislators voted to change the name of the body to the Knesset... (1949-1951) (4) |
Yehuda Leib Maimon Yehuda Leib Maimon Yehuda Leib Maimon was an Israeli rabbi, politician and leader of the religious Zionism movement, originating from Bessarabia.-Biography:Born in 1875 in Mărculeşti, Bessarabia , Maimon studied in a number of yeshivot and received rabbinic ordination from Rabbi Yechiel Michel Epstein, the author of... , Mordechai Nurock Mordechai Nurock Rabbi Dr Mordechai Nurock was a Jewish politician and minister who served in both the parliaments of Latvia and Israel. He was also Israel's first Minister of Postal Services , though he only held the post for just under two months.-Biography:Born in Tukums in the Russian Empire , Nurock attended... , David-Zvi Pinkas David-Zvi Pinkas David-Zvi Pinkas was a Zionist activist and Israeli politician. A signatory of the Israeli declaration of independence, he was the country's third Minister of Transport.-Biography:... , Avraham-Haim Shag Avraham-Haim Shag Avraham-Haim Shag was an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Assembly of Representatives and the Knesset.-Biography:Born in Jerusalem in the Ottoman Empire, Shag was educated at the Torat Haim yeshiva... |
| 2nd Israeli legislative election, 1951 Elections for the second Knesset were held in Israel on 30 July 1951. Voter turnout was 75.1%.-Results:¹ Rostam Bastuni, Avraham Berman and Moshe Sneh left Mapam and set up the Left Faction. Bastuni later returned to Mapam whilst Berman and Sneh joined Maki. Hannah Lamdan and David Livschitz left... (1951-1955) (2) |
Mordechai Nurock Mordechai Nurock Rabbi Dr Mordechai Nurock was a Jewish politician and minister who served in both the parliaments of Latvia and Israel. He was also Israel's first Minister of Postal Services , though he only held the post for just under two months.-Biography:Born in Tukums in the Russian Empire , Nurock attended... , David-Zvi Pinkas David-Zvi Pinkas David-Zvi Pinkas was a Zionist activist and Israeli politician. A signatory of the Israeli declaration of independence, he was the country's third Minister of Transport.-Biography:... (replaced by Shlomo-Yisrael Ben-Meir Shlomo-Yisrael Ben-Meir Shlomo-Yisrael Ben-Meir was an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset from 1952 until his death.-Biography:Born in Warsaw in the Russian Empire , Ben-Meir was educated at the Yitzchak Elchanan yeshiva, before studying at Yeshiva University and New York University. He was... ) |
| 3rd 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... (1955-1956) (2) |
Mordechai Nurock Mordechai Nurock Rabbi Dr Mordechai Nurock was a Jewish politician and minister who served in both the parliaments of Latvia and Israel. He was also Israel's first Minister of Postal Services , though he only held the post for just under two months.-Biography:Born in Tukums in the Russian Empire , Nurock attended... , Shlomo-Yisrael Ben-Meir Shlomo-Yisrael Ben-Meir Shlomo-Yisrael Ben-Meir was an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset from 1952 until his death.-Biography:Born in Warsaw in the Russian Empire , Ben-Meir was educated at the Yitzchak Elchanan yeshiva, before studying at Yeshiva University and New York University. He was... |
External links
- Party history Knesset website