Yehuda Leib Maimon
Encyclopedia
Yehuda Leib Maimon was an Israel
i rabbi, politician and leader of the religious Zionism
movement, originating from Bessarabia
.
, Bessarabia
(then part of the Russian Empire
, now in Moldova
), Maimon studied in a number of yeshivot and received rabbinic ordination from Rabbi Yechiel Michel Epstein
, the author of the Aruch HaShulchan
. He was one of the founders of the Mizrachi movement
in 1902. By this time Maimon had moved to the Russian Empire
, where he was arrested several times for Zionist
activity. He was a delegate to the ninth Zionist Congress in 1909, and attended every one until Israeli independence in 1948.
In 1913 Maimon moved
to Palestine
(then part of the Ottoman Empire
), but was expelled during the First World War. He moved to the United States
, where he organised the Mizrachi movement. After returning to Mandate Palestine (now under British control) in 1919, Maimon became leader of Mizrachi
in the country and together with Abraham Isaac Kook
he helped establish the Chief Rabbinate
. He was elected to the board of the Jewish Agency
in 1935, but was imprisoned by the British in Latrun
in 1946.
Maimon helped draft Israel's declaration of independence, and was one of the people to sign it. He was appointed Minister of Religions and War Victims in the provisional government
set up immediately after independence. He was elected to the first Knesset
in 1949 as a member of the United Religious Front
(an alliance of Agudat Yisrael, Agudat Israel Workers
, Mizrachi
and Hapoel HaMizrachi
) and retained his ministerial role in the first
and second governments
. He lost his seat in the 1951 elections
.
He was also heavily involved in various Jewish publishing endeavors and was awarded the Israel Prize
in 1958 in Rabbinical literature. His sister, Ada
also served as a member of the Knesset for Mapai
.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i rabbi, politician and leader of the religious Zionism
Religious Zionism
Religious Zionism is an ideology that combines Zionism and Jewish religious faith...
movement, originating from Bessarabia
Bessarabia
Bessarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west....
.
Biography
Born in 1875 in MărculeştiMarculesti
Mărculeşti is a city in Floreşti district, in the northern Moldova, with a population of 2,081 at the 2004 census.-External links:*...
, Bessarabia
Bessarabia
Bessarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west....
(then part of 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...
, now in Moldova
Moldova
Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
), Maimon studied in a number of yeshivot and received rabbinic ordination from Rabbi Yechiel Michel Epstein
Yechiel Michel Epstein
Yechiel Michel Epstein , often called "the Aruch ha-Shulchan" , was a Rabbi and posek in Lithuania...
, the author of the Aruch HaShulchan
Aruch HaShulchan
Aruch HaShulchan is a chapter-by-chapter restatement of the Shulchan Arukh...
. He was one of the founders of the Mizrachi movement
Mizrachi (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...
in 1902. By this time Maimon had moved to 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...
, where he was arrested several times for Zionist
Zionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
activity. He was a delegate to the ninth Zionist Congress in 1909, and attended every one until Israeli independence in 1948.
In 1913 Maimon moved
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 Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
(then part of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
), but was expelled during the First World War. He moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where he organised the Mizrachi movement. After returning to Mandate Palestine (now under British control) in 1919, Maimon became leader of Mizrachi
Mizrachi (political party)
Mizrachi was a political party in Israel and is one of the ancestors of the modern-day National Religious Party.-History:The Mizrachi movement was founded in 1902 in Vilnius as a religious Zionist organisation. It also had a trade union, Hapoel HaMizrachi, started in 1921...
in the country and together with Abraham Isaac Kook
Abraham Isaac Kook
Abraham Isaac Kook was the first Ashkenazi chief rabbi of the British Mandate for Palestine, the founder of the Religious Zionist Yeshiva Merkaz HaRav, Jewish thinker, Halachist, Kabbalist and a renowned Torah scholar...
he helped establish the Chief Rabbinate
Chief Rabbinate of Israel
The Chief Rabbinate of Israel is recognized by law as the supreme halakhic and spiritual authority for the Jewish people in Israel. The Chief Rabbinate Council assists the two chief rabbis, who alternate in its presidency. It has legal and administrative authority to organize religious...
. He was elected to the board of the Jewish Agency
Jewish Agency for Israel
The Jewish Agency for Israel , also known as the Sochnut or JAFI, served as the organization in charge of immigration and absorption of Jews from the Diaspora into the state of Israel.-History:...
in 1935, but was imprisoned by the British in Latrun
Latrun
Latrun is a strategic hilltop in the Ayalon Valley in Israel overlooking the road to Jerusalem. It is located 25 kilometers west of Jerusalem and 14 kilometers southeast of Ramla.-Etymology:...
in 1946.
Maimon helped draft Israel's declaration of independence, and was one of the people to sign it. He was appointed Minister of Religions and War Victims in the provisional government
Provisional government of Israel
The provisional government of Israel was the temporary cabinet which governed Israel from shortly before independence until the formation of the first government in March 1949 following the first Knesset elections in January that year....
set up immediately after independence. He was elected to 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...
in 1949 as a member of 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:...
(an alliance of Agudat Yisrael, Agudat Israel Workers
Agudat Israel Workers
Poalei Agudat Yisrael was a political party in Poland, and is a minor political party and settlement movement in Israel. It is also known as PAI or PAGI, its Hebrew acronym .-History:...
, Mizrachi
Mizrachi (political party)
Mizrachi was a political party in Israel and is one of the ancestors of the modern-day National Religious Party.-History:The Mizrachi movement was founded in 1902 in Vilnius as a religious Zionist organisation. It also had a trade union, Hapoel HaMizrachi, started in 1921...
and 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:...
) and retained his ministerial role in the first
First government of Israel
The first government of Israel formed by David Ben-Gurion on 8 March 1949, a month and a half after the elections for the first Knesset. His Mapai party formed a coalition with the United Religious Front, the Progressive Party, the Sephardim and Oriental Communities and the Democratic List of...
and second governments
Second government of Israel
The second government of Israel was formed during the first Knesset. David Ben-Gurion made an attempt to form a minority government consisting of Mapai and Sephardim and Oriental Communities on 17 October, but it was not approved by the Knesset...
. He lost his seat 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...
.
He was also heavily involved in various Jewish publishing endeavors and was awarded the Israel Prize
Israel Prize
The Israel Prize is an award handed out by the State of Israel and is largely regarded as the state's highest honor. It is presented annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state ceremony in Jerusalem, in the presence of the President, the Prime Minister, the Knesset chairperson, and the...
in 1958 in Rabbinical literature. His sister, Ada
Ada Maimon
Ada Maimon was an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Mapai between 1949 and 1955.-Biography:Born in Mărculeşti in the Russian Empire , Maimon made aliyah to Ottoman-controlled Palestine in 1912, and was followed by her older brother, Yehuda, the following year. She worked...
also served as a member of the Knesset for 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...
.
Further reading
- The Junior Jewish Encyclopedia, 10th Edition (1984). Ben Asher and Leaf (eds.), Shengold Publishers, NY.