Moshe Wertman
Encyclopedia
Moshe Wertman was an Israel
i politician who served as a member of the Knesset
for the Alignment
and Labor Party between 1966 and 1977.
in Poland
, Wertman joined Hashomer Hatzair
in 1936, and was also a member of the Dror
youth movement and Poalei Zion. In 1939 he moved to Lviv
, before moving again to Tajikistan
the following year, where he lived until 1946, when he returned to Poland.
In 1947 he made aliyah
to Mandate Palestine, where he joined the Haganah
. In April 1948 he was injured during the battle for the Western Galilee. In the same year he joined Mapai
, and served as secretary for the trade unions in Haifa
Workers Council between 1949 and 1955, when he became Director of the branches department, a role he held until 1959. Between 1959 and 1969 he served as a member of the workers council's secretariat. In 1964 he became secretary of Mapai's Haifa district branch, and was on the Alignment list (an alliance of Mapai and Ahdut HaAvoda
) for the Knesset elections
the following year. Although he failed to win a seat, he entered the Knesset on 17 January 1966 as a replacement for Moshe Carmel
, who had given up his seat after being appointed Minister of Transport. He was re-elected in 1969
and 1973
, but lost his seat in the 1977 election
. During his time in the Knesset he served as chairman of the Alignment faction and chaired the governing coalition's directorate.
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 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...
and Labor Party between 1966 and 1977.
Biography
Born in Tomaszów LubelskiTomaszów Lubelski
Tomaszów Lubelski is a town in south-eastern Poland with 20,261 inhabitants . Situated in the Lublin Voivodeship , previously in Zamość Voivodeship . It is the capital of Tomaszów Lubelski County.-History:...
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...
, Wertman 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...
in 1936, and was also a member of the Dror
Habonim Dror
Habonim Dror is a Jewish Labour Zionist youth movement formed by the merger in 1982 of the Habonim and Dror youth movements. Habonim Dror's sister movement in Israel is Hanoar Haoved Vehalomed, the Working and Studying Youth.-Ideology:...
youth movement and Poalei Zion. In 1939 he moved to Lviv
Lviv
Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
, before moving again to Tajikistan
Tajikistan
Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
the following year, where he lived until 1946, when he returned to Poland.
In 1947 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 Mandate Palestine, where he joined the Haganah
Haganah
Haganah was a Jewish paramilitary organization in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948, which later became the core of the Israel Defense Forces.- Origins :...
. In April 1948 he was injured during the battle for the Western Galilee. In the same year he joined 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 served as secretary for the trade unions in Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
Workers Council between 1949 and 1955, when he became Director of the branches department, a role he held until 1959. Between 1959 and 1969 he served as a member of the workers council's secretariat. In 1964 he became secretary of Mapai's Haifa district branch, and was on the Alignment list (an alliance of Mapai and Ahdut HaAvoda
Ahdut HaAvoda
Ahdut HaAvoda was the name used by a sequence of political parties that existed firstly during Mandate Palestine and later in Israel. Its original version, led by David Ben-Gurion, is one of the main ancestors of the modern-day Israeli Labor Party....
) for the Knesset 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...
the following year. Although he failed to win a seat, he entered the Knesset on 17 January 1966 as a replacement for Moshe Carmel
Moshe Carmel
Moshe Carmel was an Israeli soldier and politician who served as Minister of Transportation for eight years.-Background:Born in Mińsk Mazowiecki in the Russian Empire , Carmel emigrated to Mandate Palestine in 1924 when he was 13 years old. He was a founding member of kibbutz Na'an, and was...
, who had given up his seat after being appointed Minister of Transport. He was re-elected in 1969
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...
and 1973
Israeli legislative election, 1973
The Elections for the eighth Knesset were held on 31 December 1973. Voter turnout was 78.6%.-Results:1 Aryeh Eliav left the Alignment and merged with Ratz to form Ya'ad - Civil Rights Movement...
, but lost his seat in the 1977 election
Israeli 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...
. During his time in the Knesset he served as chairman of the Alignment faction and chaired the governing coalition's directorate.