Aryeh Ben-Eliezer

Biography

Aryeh Ben-Eliezer (born Lipa Zabrowsky) was born in Vilnius in the Russian Empire (today in Lithuania). His family immigrated to Mandatory Palestine in 1920. He attended high schools in Tel Aviv. While the name "Ben-Eliezer" implies that Aryeh's father's name was "Eliezer", his father's name was actually "Binyomin Eliezer".

Zionist activism

At the age of thirteen, he joined Betar and during the 1929 Palestine riots and the 1936 riots took an active part in the battle for Tel Aviv.{{Cite web

After the outbreak of World War II, he was sent on an Irgun mission to the United States and helped to found the Committee for the Creation of a Hebrew Army. Together with Hillel Kook, Ari Jabotinsky, Shmuel Merlin and Yitzhak Ben-Ami, he founded the "Committee for the Rescue of European Jewry" and later on the "Committee for National Liberation".

In 1943, he returned to Palestine on a mission for the Committee for the Rescue of European Jewry. He met with Menachem Begin, who asked him to become a member of the first Irgun General Headquarters. In April 1944 he was once again arrested by the British, and was one of 251 detainees exiled in October of that year to Asmara, Eritrea, where he was the representative of the exiles before the British authorities.{{Cite web | archive-date = 2020-10-09 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201009172419/http://www.etzel.org.il/english/ac15.htm#1 | url-status = dead

Political career

In 1948, he returned to the newly declared State of Israel and was among the founders and leaders of the Herut movement. He also helped establish Israel's relations with France. He was elected for Herut to the first through fifth Knessets, and for Gahal to the sixth and seventh. He was a member of the Finance, Economic Affairs, Foreign Affairs & Defense and Internal Affairs Committees, as well as Deputy Speaker of the Knesset. He was one of the first to propose a referendum as a proviso for crucial decisions, as part of his party's opposition to the Reparations Agreement between Israel and West Germany.

Ben-Eliezer suffered a serious heart attack in December 1952, causing a lengthy hospital stay. As a result of poor health he resigned from the Knesset in July 1953 and was replaced by Haim Cohen-Meguri. His health improved enough for him to stand in the July 1955 Israeli legislative election which returned him to the Knesset.

When Begin again announced his intention to resign as Herut chairman in 1966 after the party's disappointing result in the 1965 Israeli legislative election, Ben-Eliezer was a candidate to succeed him along with Shmuel Tamir. However, Begin was persuaded to reverse his decision in February 1967.

Ben-Eliezer died in 1970 while still an MK, and was replaced by Gideon Patt.

Commemoration

The Israeli settlement of Beit Aryeh was named after him. A main street in Ramat Gan, is also named after him as well as Streets in Petah Tikva, Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Netanya, Holon, Lod and Herzliya.

References

References

1. (2005). "Where's Menachem Begin? - His Disappearance in 1951 and Its Significance". Israel Studies Review.
2. Attested to by the son-in-law of Dov Ber Zabrowsky - Aryeh's brother, Cantor Noach Schall
3. (5 July 1966). "Herut Convention Ends with Appeal to Begin to Withdraw Resignation". Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
4. (Spring 2015). "Crisis and Development: Menachem Begin's Leadership Throughout the 1960s". Israel Studies.
5. "Arieh Ben Eliezer · Herzliya, Israel".