Aharon Harel
Encyclopedia
Aharon Harel was an Israel
i politician who served as a member of the Knesset
for the Alignment
between 1981 and 1988.
in Poland
(today in Belarus
), Harel made aliyah
to Mandate Palestine in 1935. He joined the HaNoar HaOved
, and between 1942 and 1950 was an instructor and co-ordinator of the Borochov Neighbourhood branch, before becoming a member of its secretariat in 1951. He went on to study economics and statistics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
, where he gained a BA, and then management, labour relations and human resource management at the Technion.
He joined Mapai
, and headed its Labor Movement department from 1960 until 1964. In 1965 he joined the Mapai breakaway group that left to form Rafi, becoming a member of the central committee and secretariat of the new party.
From 1970 until 1981 he chaired the Organisation and Workers Council department of the Histadrut
. He also worked as a lecturer at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
from 1975 until 1976 and at the Technion from 1976 until 1981.
In 1981
he was elected to the Knesset on the Alignment list (an alliance of the Labor Party (which Rafi had merged into in 1968) and Mapam
). He was re-elected in 1984
and also became a director of Beit Berl
college in the same year.
On 10 May 1988 he resigned from the Knesset, and was replaced by Avraham Shochat
. That year he became chairman of the Israel Broadcasting Authority
. He left Beit Berl in 1990, and the IBA in 1992.
With his wife, Nira, a writer, Harel had four children, including Asaf, a comedian and writer. He died in 2000 at the age of 68.
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...
for the Alignment
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...
between 1981 and 1988.
Biography
Born in PinskPinsk
Pinsk , a town in Belarus, in the Polesia region, traversed by the river Pripyat, at the confluence of the Strumen and Pina rivers. The region was known as the Marsh of Pinsk. It is a fertile agricultural center. It lies south-west of Minsk. The population is about 130,000...
in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
(today 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 ,...
), Harel 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 in 1935. He joined the HaNoar HaOved
Hanoar Haoved Vehalomed
Histadrut HaNoar HaOved VeHaLomed , sometimes abbreiviated to No'al is an Israeli youth movement, a sister movement of Habonim Dror, the Labor Zionist movement....
, and between 1942 and 1950 was an instructor and co-ordinator of the Borochov Neighbourhood branch, before becoming a member of its secretariat in 1951. He went on to study economics and statistics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J...
, where he gained a BA, and then management, labour relations and human resource management at the Technion.
He joined 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...
, and headed its Labor Movement department from 1960 until 1964. In 1965 he joined the Mapai breakaway group that left to form Rafi, becoming a member of the central committee and secretariat of the new party.
From 1970 until 1981 he chaired the Organisation and Workers Council department 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...
. He also worked as a lecturer at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev is a university in Beersheba, Israel, established in 1969. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has a current enrollment of 17,400 students, and is one of Israel's fastest growing universities....
from 1975 until 1976 and at the Technion from 1976 until 1981.
In 1981
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...
he was elected to the Knesset on the Alignment list (an alliance of the Labor Party (which Rafi had merged into in 1968) and Mapam
Mapam
Mapam was a political party in Israel and is one of the ancestors of the modern-day Meretz party.-History:Mapam was formed by a January 1948 merger of the Hashomer Hatzair Workers Party and Ahdut HaAvoda Poale Zion Movement. The party was originally Marxist-Zionist in its outlook and represented...
). He was re-elected 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...
and also became a director of Beit Berl
Beit Berl
Beit Berl is a village and the largest academic college in Israel in number of students and the range of programs it offers. Located on the outskirts of Kfar Sava, it falls under the jurisdiction of Drom HaSharon Regional Council...
college in the same year.
On 10 May 1988 he resigned from the Knesset, and was replaced by Avraham Shochat
Avraham Shochat
Avraham Shochat is a former Israeli politician who twice served as Minister of Finance.-Background:Shochat was born in Tel Aviv during the Mandate era...
. That year he became chairman of the Israel Broadcasting Authority
Israel Broadcasting Authority
Israel Broadcasting Authority is Israel's state broadcasting network.It grew out of the radio station Kol Yisrael, which made its first broadcast as an independent station on . The name of the organisation operating Kol Yisrael was changed to Israel Broadcasting Service in 1951...
. He left Beit Berl in 1990, and the IBA in 1992.
With his wife, Nira, a writer, Harel had four children, including Asaf, a comedian and writer. He died in 2000 at the age of 68.