Rachel Katznelson-Shazar
Encyclopedia
Rachel Katznelson-Shazar , also known as Rachel Shazar, (born 24 October 1885, died 11 August 1975) was an active figure in the Zionist movement and wife of Zalman Shazar
, the third President
of the State of Israel
.
, then in the Russian Empire
and now in Belarus
, into a traditional Jewish family. She graduated from Russian high school with honors at the age of 18, which gave her the possibility of going to university, which was only open to a small percentage of the Jewish community. She was accepted to the St. Petersburg University
to study literature and history. She also studied at the Academy for Jewish Studies in St. Petersburg, where she met her future husband, Zalman Shazar, then known as Shneur Zalman Rubashov, whom she married in 1920.
Katznelson emigrated to Ottoman Palestine
, now Israel, in 1912 and was immediately active in a number of Zionist organizations, having previously joined the Labor Zionist movement in 1905 in her home town. In 1916, she was elected to the first Cultural Committee of the Labor Movement, alongside Berl Katznelson
and Yitzhak Tabenkin
, and worked with them to enhance the education of workers. She was later elected as a member of the cultural committee of the Achdut Ha'avodah party and, in 1924, of the Histadrut
.
Throughout her life, she was actively involved with the Histadrut and the Mapai
party, and performed many public duties, besides assisting her husband in his various public functions as a member of the Knesset
, a government minister, a member of the Jewish Agency executive and ultimately as President of Israel from 1963 to 1973.
(one of the signatories of the Israeli declaration of independence), Joseph Katznelson (a companion of Ze'ev Jabotinsky and one of the Irgun
's two Chiefs of Illegal Immigration) and Reuben Katznelson (a member of the Jewish Legion
and Joseph Trumpeldor
's sergeant and companion in the Battle of Gallipoli
). Reuben Katznelson was the father of Shulamit Katznelson and Shmuel Tamir
.
Zalman Shazar
Zalman Shazar was an Israeli politician, author. and poet. Shazar served as the third President of Israel from 1963 to 1973.-Biography:...
, the third President
President of Israel
The President of the State of Israel is the head of state of Israel. The position is largely an apolitical ceremonial figurehead role, with the real executive power lying in the hands of the Prime Minister. The current president is Shimon Peres who took office on 15 July 2007...
of the State of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
Biography
Born Rachel Katznelson in 1885 (or possibly 1888) in the city of BabruyskBabruysk
Babruysk or Bobruysk is a city in the Mahilyow Voblast of Belarus on the Berezina river. It is a large city in Belarus with a population of approximately 227,000 people . The name Babruysk probably originates from the Belarusian word babyor , many of which used to inhabit the Berezina...
, then 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...
and now in Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
, into a traditional Jewish family. She graduated from Russian high school with honors at the age of 18, which gave her the possibility of going to university, which was only open to a small percentage of the Jewish community. She was accepted to the St. Petersburg University
Saint Petersburg State University
Saint Petersburg State University is a Russian federal state-owned higher education institution based in Saint Petersburg and one of the oldest and largest universities in Russia....
to study literature and history. She also studied at the Academy for Jewish Studies in St. Petersburg, where she met her future husband, Zalman Shazar, then known as Shneur Zalman Rubashov, whom she married in 1920.
Katznelson emigrated to Ottoman 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....
, now Israel, in 1912 and was immediately active in a number of Zionist organizations, having previously joined the Labor Zionist movement in 1905 in her home town. In 1916, she was elected to the first Cultural Committee of the Labor Movement, alongside Berl Katznelson
Berl Katznelson
Berl Katznelson was one the intellectual founders of Labor Zionism, instrumental to the establishment of the modern State of Israel, and the editor of Davar, the first daily newspaper of the workers' movement.-Biography:...
and Yitzhak Tabenkin
Yitzhak Tabenkin
-External links:...
, and worked with them to enhance the education of workers. She was later elected as a member of the cultural committee of the Achdut Ha'avodah party and, in 1924, 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...
.
Throughout her life, she was actively involved with the Histadrut and the 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...
party, and performed many public duties, besides assisting her husband in his various public functions 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...
, a government minister, a member of the Jewish Agency executive and ultimately as President of Israel from 1963 to 1973.
Awards
- In 1946, Katznelson-Shazar was awarded the Brenner PrizeBrenner PrizeThe Brenner Prize is an Israeli literary prize awarded annually by the Hebrew Writers Association in Israel and the Haft Family Foundation.It was founded in the name of the author Yosef Haim Brenner and was first awarded in 1945....
. - In 1958, she was awarded the Israel PrizeIsrael PrizeThe 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 social sciencesSocial sciencesSocial science is the field of study concerned with society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences usually exclusive of the administrative or managerial sciences...
. - In 1968, she received the Yakir YerushalayimYakir YerushalayimYakir Yerushalayim is an annual citizenship prize in Jerusalem, Israel, inaugurated in 1967.The prize is awarded annually by the municipality of the City of Jerusalem to one or more residents of the city who have contributed to the cultural and educational life of the city in some outstanding way....
(Worthy Citizen of Jerusalem) award.
Family
Katznelson's brothers were Avraham KatznelsonAvraham Katznelson
Dr Avraham Katznelson was a Zionist political figure in Mandate Palestine and a signatory of the Israeli declaration of independence.-Biography:Katznelson was born in 1888 in Babruysk in the Russian Empire, now in Belarus...
(one of the signatories of the Israeli declaration of independence), Joseph Katznelson (a companion of Ze'ev Jabotinsky and one of the Irgun
Irgun
The Irgun , or Irgun Zevai Leumi to give it its full title , was a Zionist paramilitary group that operated in Mandate Palestine between 1931 and 1948. It was an offshoot of the earlier and larger Jewish paramilitary organization haHaganah...
's two Chiefs of Illegal Immigration) and Reuben Katznelson (a member of 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...
and Joseph Trumpeldor
Joseph Trumpeldor
Joseph Trumpeldor , was an early Zionist activist. He helped organize the Zion Mule Corps and bring Jewish immigrants to the Land of Israel. Trumpeldor died defending the settlement of Tel Hai in 1920 and subsequently became a Zionist national hero...
's sergeant and companion in the Battle of Gallipoli
Battle of Gallipoli
The Gallipoli Campaign, also known as the Dardanelles Campaign or the Battle of Gallipoli, took place at the peninsula of Gallipoli in the Ottoman Empire between 25 April 1915 and 9 January 1916, during the First World War...
). Reuben Katznelson was the father of Shulamit Katznelson and Shmuel Tamir
Shmuel Tamir
Shmuel M. Tamir was a prominent Israeli independence fighter, lawyer, Knesset member from 1965 to 1980, and Minister of Justice in the government of Menachem Begin from 1977 until 1980-Irgun:...
.
See also
- List of Israel Prize recipients