Ze'ev Shefer
Encyclopedia
Ze'ev Shefer was an Israel
i politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Mapai
between 1951 and 1955.
in the Russian Empire
(today in Ukraine
), Shefer attended a Russian School in Chişinău
before making aliyah
to Ottoman
-controlled Palestine in 1913. He joined the Tzeiri Zion youth group, and later became a member of Hapoel Hatzair
. After David Ben-Gurion
and Yitzhak Ben-Zvi
were expelled by the Ottoman authorities, he was a member of the Poale HaIvri central committee. In 1917 he volunteered to join the Jewish Legion
. After being demobilised he lived in the Lower Galilee.
In 1919 he was amongst the founders of Ahdut HaAvoda
, and the following year helped establish kibbutz Ayelet HaShahar
. He worked as a member of the mounted platoon of the special police that guarded the villages in the area. In 1921 he was also amongst the founders of the Histadrut
.
Shefer moved to Tel Aviv, where he became secretary of the Tel Aviv
Workers Council, and a member of the city council in 1929. In 1939 he became secretary of Mapai
. Between 1939 and 1945 he served in the British Army
during World War II
. Upon his return to Palestine after the war, he became a member of the Haganah
's national command, and also served as acting head of national staff.
In 1949 he became a member of the HaKibbutz HaMeuhad secretariat. Two years later he was elected to the Knesset on the Mapai list, and was appointed Deputy Speaker. When HaKibbutz HaMeuhad split in 1952, he was amongst the founders of the Mapai-aligned Ihud HaKvutzot VeHaKibbutzim. Shefer lost his seat in the 1955 elections
, and died in 1964 at the age of 57.
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 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...
between 1951 and 1955.
Biography
Born in UmanUman
Uman is a city located in the Cherkasy Oblast in central Ukraine, to the east of Vinnytsia. The city rests on the banks of the Umanka River at around , and serves as the self-governing administrative center of the Umanskyi Raion ....
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...
), Shefer attended a Russian School in Chişinău
Chisinau
Chișinău is the capital and largest municipality of Moldova. It is also its main industrial and commercial centre and is located in the middle of the country, on the river Bîc...
before making 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 Ottoman
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...
-controlled Palestine in 1913. He joined the Tzeiri Zion youth group, and later became a member of Hapoel Hatzair
Hapoel Hatzair
Hapoel Hatzair is a Zionist group which was active in Palestine from 1905 until 1930. They were founded by A.D. Gordon, Yosef Ahronowitz, Yosef Sprinzak and followed a non-Marxist, Zionist, socialist agenda. In accordance with A.D...
. After 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...
and Yitzhak Ben-Zvi
Yitzhak Ben-Zvi
Yitzhak Ben-Zvi was a historian, Labor Zionist leader, the second and longest-serving President of Israel.-Biography:...
were expelled by the Ottoman authorities, he was a member of the Poale HaIvri central committee. In 1917 he volunteered to join the Jewish Legion
Jewish Legion
The Jewish Legion was the name for five battalions of Jewish volunteers established as the British Army's 38th through 42nd Battalions of the Royal Fusiliers...
. After being demobilised he lived in the Lower Galilee.
In 1919 he was amongst the founders of 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....
, and the following year helped establish kibbutz Ayelet HaShahar
Ayelet HaShahar
-External links:* * article written by Ellis Shuman, June 16, 2004, mentions the vote by members of Kibbutz Ayelet Hashahar to transform their cooperative into a moshav.**...
. He worked as a member of the mounted platoon of the special police that guarded the villages in the area. In 1921 he was also amongst the founders of the Histadrut
Histadrut
HaHistadrut HaKlalit shel HaOvdim B'Eretz Yisrael , known as the Histadrut, is Israel's organization of trade unions. Established in December 1920 during the British Mandate for Palestine, it became one of the most powerful institutions of the State of Israel.-History:The Histadrut was founded in...
.
Shefer moved to Tel Aviv, where he became secretary of the 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...
Workers Council, and a member of the city council in 1929. In 1939 he became secretary of 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...
. Between 1939 and 1945 he served in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Upon his return to Palestine after the war, he became a member of 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 :...
's national command, and also served as acting head of national staff.
In 1949 he became a member of the HaKibbutz HaMeuhad secretariat. Two years later he was elected to the Knesset on the Mapai list, and was appointed Deputy Speaker. When HaKibbutz HaMeuhad split in 1952, he was amongst the founders of the Mapai-aligned Ihud HaKvutzot VeHaKibbutzim. Shefer lost his seat in 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...
, and died in 1964 at the age of 57.