Reuven Arazi
Encyclopedia
Reuven Arazi was an Israel
i politician who served as a member of the Knesset
for Mapam
and the Alignment
between 1965 and 1974.
in the Russian Empire
(today in Ukraine
), Arazi was educated at a gymnasium
in Poland
, before studying law in Warsaw
, where he was certified as a lawyer. He also graduated from the Judaic Studies Institute in the city. Whilst a student he was amongst the leadership of the Socialist Zionist student movement, and also joined Hashomer Hatzair
.
Between 1933 and 1939 he worked in the Tarbut
school system, but in 1940, following the Soviet invasion of Poland, was exiled to the Urals by the Soviet authorities. He returned to Poland in 1946 and re-established Hashomer Hatzair, becoming its secretary general. He was also involved with the Jewish National Fund
, becoming a member of its board of directors.
In 1949 he made aliyah
to Israel, where he joined Mapam
(which had been formed by a merger of the Hashomer Hatzair Workers Party
and the Ahdut HaAvoda Poale Zion Movement
. In 1959 he became the party's political secretary, a role he held until 1965 when he was elected to the Knesset on the party's list. He was re-elected in 1969
(by which time Mapam had formed the Alignment alliance), and was appointed Deputy Speaker of the Knesset. He his seat in the 1973 elections
.
He died in 1983 at the age of 76.
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 1965 and 1974.
Biography
Born in MezhirichiMezhirichi
Mezhirichi is a village in the Korets Raion of the Rivne Oblast, Ukraine. It is located in western Ukraine, 13 miles W of Korets, 27 miles E of Rivne.- Names :Mezhirichi is also known as , , .- Jewish life in Mezhirichi :...
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...
(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...
), Arazi was educated at a gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
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...
, before studying law in Warsaw
Warsaw
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...
, where he was certified as a lawyer. He also graduated from the Judaic Studies Institute in the city. Whilst a student he was amongst the leadership of the Socialist Zionist student movement, and also 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...
.
Between 1933 and 1939 he worked in the Tarbut
Tarbut
The Tarbut movement was a network of secular, Hebrew-language schools in parts of the former Jewish Pale of Settlement, specifically in Poland, Romania and Lithuania...
school system, but in 1940, following the Soviet invasion of Poland, was exiled to the Urals by the Soviet authorities. He returned to Poland in 1946 and re-established Hashomer Hatzair, becoming its secretary general. He was also involved with the Jewish National Fund
Jewish National Fund
The Jewish National Fund was founded in 1901 to buy and develop land in Ottoman Palestine for Jewish settlement. The JNF is a quasi-governmental, non-profit organisation...
, becoming a member of its board of directors.
In 1949 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 Israel, where he joined 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...
(which had been formed by a merger of the Hashomer Hatzair Workers Party
Hashomer Hatzair Workers Party of Palestine
The Hashomer Hatzair Workers Party of Palestine was a Marxist-Zionist political party in Mandate Palestine, connected to the Hashomer Hatzair movement. At the time of its foundation, in 1946, the party had around 10,000 members, two-thirds of whom hailed from the Kibbutz Artzi movement...
and the Ahdut HaAvoda Poale Zion Movement
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....
. In 1959 he became the party's political secretary, a role he held until 1965 when he was elected to the Knesset on the party's list. 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...
(by which time Mapam had formed the Alignment alliance), and was appointed Deputy Speaker of the Knesset. He his seat in the 1973 elections
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...
.
He died in 1983 at the age of 76.