Eliyahu Eliashar
Encyclopedia
Eliyahu Eliashar was an Israel
i politician and writer.
, Eliashar studied medicine at the University of Beirut, as well as law in Cairo
and Jerusalem. During World War I
he served as a junior medical officer in the Ottoman Army.
After the British took control of Palestine, he started working for the Mandate government in 1922, eventually managing the Trade Bureau in the Department of Customs and Trade. In 1935 he left the civil service and went into business.
In 1938 he became a member of the Sephardi Community Committee in Jerusalem, and also served as a member of its presidium. In 1942 he was elected its president. In the same year he started publishing and editing the weekly newspaper Hed HaMizrah, which he continued to do until 1952.
A member of the Jewish National Council, he was amongst the leadership of the Haganah
in Jerusalem and served as a member of the Defence Committee of the Provisional State Council
after Israeli independence. In the first Knesset elections
in 1949 he won a seat on the Sephardim and Oriental Communities
list. He was re-elected in 1951
, and later represented the General Zionists
after the parties merged shortly after the elections. However, he lost his seat in the 1955 elections
.
In 1974, Eliashar was one of the founders of the Israeli Council for Israeli-Palestinian Peace.
Eliashar later published two books; Living with the Palestinians in 1975, and Living with the Jews in 1981. He died in October that year.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i politician and writer.
Biography
Born in Jerusalem at a time when it was part of the Ottoman EmpireOttoman 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...
, Eliashar studied medicine at the University of Beirut, as well as law in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
and Jerusalem. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
he served as a junior medical officer in the Ottoman Army.
After the British took control of Palestine, he started working for the Mandate government in 1922, eventually managing the Trade Bureau in the Department of Customs and Trade. In 1935 he left the civil service and went into business.
In 1938 he became a member of the Sephardi Community Committee in Jerusalem, and also served as a member of its presidium. In 1942 he was elected its president. In the same year he started publishing and editing the weekly newspaper Hed HaMizrah, which he continued to do until 1952.
A member of the Jewish National Council, he was amongst the leadership 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 :...
in Jerusalem and served as a member of the Defence Committee of the Provisional State Council
Provisional State Council
The Provisional State Council was the temporary legislature of Israel from shortly before independence until the election of the first Knesset in January 1949...
after Israeli independence. In the first Knesset elections
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 he won a seat on the Sephardim and Oriental Communities
Sephardim and Oriental Communities
Sephardim and Oriental Communities was a political party in Israel and is one of the ancestors of the modern-day Likud party.-History:The Sephardim and Oriental Communities party represented Sephardi Jews and Mizrahi Jews who were already living in Israel at the time of independence, and was part...
list. He was re-elected in 1951
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...
, and later represented the General Zionists
General Zionists
The General Zionists were centrists within the Zionist movement and a political party in Israel. Their political arm is an ancestor of the modern-day Likud.-History:...
after the parties merged shortly after the elections. However, he 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...
.
In 1974, Eliashar was one of the founders of the Israeli Council for Israeli-Palestinian Peace.
Eliashar later published two books; Living with the Palestinians in 1975, and Living with the Jews in 1981. He died in October that year.