Yitzhak Artzi
Encyclopedia
Yitzhak Artzi was an Israel
i politician who served as a member of the Knesset
between 1984 and 1988.
, Romania
into a Hassidic family. He was educated at high schools in his hometown and Chernivtsi
, before attending the Jewish College in Bucharest
. A leading activist in the HaNoar HaTzioni
youth movement, he was amongst the leadership of the Zionist underground in Romania during World War II, helping to rescue children from transit camps, as well as organising illegal immigration to Palestine and helping in the Cyprus internment camps
.
He made aliyah
to Mandate Palestine himself in 1946, and studied law and economics at Tel Aviv University
, gaining certification as a lawyer. Between 1947 and 1950 he was a member of the Alonei Abba
moshav. Whilst living there he had two children, Shlomo
, a musician, and Nava
, a writer. He also worked as an information and public relations officer for the State Income Administration.
Having joined the Progressive Party
, he served as its secretary general from 1959 until 1961 and was deputy editor of its Zmanim newspaper, where he headed its editorial board. When the party merged into the Liberal Party
, he served as its secretary general until 1965, when most former Progressive Party members left to establish the Independent Liberals
, which he served as secretary general of for a year. From 1966 until 1969 he headed the Youth Aliyah
department of the Jewish Agency for Israel
, of which he was also a member of the board of directors.
From 1974 until 1979 he held the post of alternate to the mayor of Tel Aviv
, and was the city's deputy mayor between 1979 and 1983. He was elected to the Knesset
in 1984
on the Alignment list
(the Independent Liberals had merged into it after losing their last seat in the 1981 elections
). On 15 March 1988 he left the Alignment to join Shinui
. However, he lost his seat in the elections later that year
.
He died in 2003 at the age of 82.
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...
between 1984 and 1988.
Biography
Artzi was born Izo Hertzig in SiretSiret
Siret is a town in Romania, Suceava County, one of the oldest towns in, and a former capital of, the former principality of Moldavia. It is located 2 km from the border with Ukraine, being one of the main border passing points in the North of the country, having both a road border post and a...
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
into a Hassidic family. He was educated at high schools in his hometown and Chernivtsi
Chernivtsi
Chernivtsi is the administrative center of Chernivtsi Oblast in southwestern Ukraine. The city is situated on the upper course of the River Prut, a tributary of the Danube, in the northern part of the historic region of Bukovina, which is currently divided between Romania and Ukraine...
, before attending the Jewish College in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
. A leading activist in the HaNoar HaTzioni
Hanoar Hatzioni
Hanoar Hatzioni is a youth movement established in 1926, with its head offices now in Israel. Its three main pillars are Judaism, Pluralism, and Zionism...
youth movement, he was amongst the leadership of the Zionist underground in Romania during World War II, helping to rescue children from transit camps, as well as organising illegal immigration to Palestine and helping in the Cyprus internment camps
Cyprus internment camps
Cyprus internment camps were camps run by the British government for internment of Jews who had immigrated or attempted to immigrate to Mandatory Palestine in violation of British policy...
.
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 himself in 1946, and studied law and economics at Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University is a public university located in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel. With nearly 30,000 students, TAU is Israel's largest university.-History:...
, gaining certification as a lawyer. Between 1947 and 1950 he was a member of the Alonei Abba
Alonei Abba
Alonei Abba is a moshav shitufi, or semi-cooperative village, in northern Israel. It is located in the Lower Galilee near Bethlehem of Galilee and Alonim, in the hills east of Kiryat Tivon. Alonei Abba falls under the jurisdiction of the Jezreel Valley Regional Council...
moshav. Whilst living there he had two children, Shlomo
Shlomo Artzi
Shlomo Artzi is an Israeli folk rock singer-songwriter, and composer.He was born on November 26, 1949, in Moshav Alonei Abba. In the course of his career, he has sold over 1.5 million albums, making him one of Israel's most successful male singers....
, a musician, and Nava
Nava Semel
Nava Semel is an Israeli and internationally published author, playwright, screen writer and translator.-Biography:Nava Semel was born 1954 in Yaffo, daughter of Mimi and the late Itzhak Artzi, both Holocaust survivors. She is the younger sister of Israeli Rock star Shlomo Artzi.She has an MA in...
, a writer. He also worked as an information and public relations officer for the State Income Administration.
Having joined the Progressive Party
Progressive Party (Israel)
The Progressive Party was a political party in Israel.-History:The Progressive Party was a liberal party, most of whose founders came from the ranks of the New Aliyah Party and HaOved HaTzioni, which had been active prior to independence...
, he served as its secretary general from 1959 until 1961 and was deputy editor of its Zmanim newspaper, where he headed its editorial board. When the party merged into the Liberal Party
Liberal Party (Israel)
The Israeli Liberal Party was a political party in Israel and is one of the ancestors of the modern-day Likud.-History:The Liberal Party was formed on 8 May 1961, towards the end of the fourth Knesset, by a merger of the General Zionists and the Progressive Party, with the new party having 14...
, he served as its secretary general until 1965, when most former Progressive Party members left to establish the Independent Liberals
Independent Liberals (Israel)
The Independent Liberals were a political party in Israel between the 1960s and 1980s.-History:The Independent Liberals party was formed during the fifth Knesset in the aftermath of the merger of the Liberal Party and Herut. Seven of the 17 Liberal Party MKs led by former Minister of Justice,...
, which he served as secretary general of for a year. From 1966 until 1969 he headed the Youth Aliyah
Youth Aliyah
Szold was initially skeptical about the merits of Freier's proposal, as she believed that Germany offered better educational opportunities for Jewish children than Palestine. However, Hitler's rise to power convinced her otherwise. The Nuremberg Laws were enacted in 1935 and on 31 March 1936 German...
department of the Jewish Agency for Israel
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:...
, of which he was also a member of the board of directors.
From 1974 until 1979 he held the post of alternate to the mayor of Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
, and was the city's deputy mayor between 1979 and 1983. He was elected to 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...
in 1984
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...
on the Alignment list
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...
(the Independent Liberals had merged into it after losing their last seat in the 1981 elections
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...
). On 15 March 1988 he left the Alignment to join Shinui
Shinui
Shinui is a Zionist, secular and anti-clerical free market liberal party and political movement in Israel. The party twice became the third largest in the Knesset, but both occasions were followed by a split and collapse; in 1977 the party won 15 seats as part of the Democratic Movement for...
. However, he lost his seat in the elections later that year
Israeli legislative election, 1988
Elections for the twelfth Knesset were held in Israel on 1 November 1988. Voter turnout was 79.7%.-Results:1 Five members of the Likud left to form the Party for the Advancement of the Zionist Idea; after two returned, the party was renamed the New Liberal Party...
.
He died in 2003 at the age of 82.