Mordechai Nurock
Encyclopedia
Rabbi Dr Mordechai Nurock was a Jewish politician and minister who served in both the parliaments of Latvia
and Israel
. He was also Israel's first Minister of Postal Services
(a post today known as the Minister of Communications), though he only held the post for just under two months.
in the Russian Empire
(today in Latvia
), Nurock attended universities in Russia, Germany
and Switzerland
, gaining a PhD in philosophy. He was also ordained as a rabbi
, and replaced his father as rabbi of Jelgava
in 1913 before moving to Russia in 1915.
A Zionist
, he was a delegate at the sixth Zionist Congress in 1903 and helped Jewish refugees during World War I
. He also joined the All-Russian Jewish Committee and established a religious Jewish group known as "Tradition and Freedom".
In 1921 he returned to Latvia, by now an independent state. The following year he was elected to the Saeima
, and became the leader of the minorities' bloc. He retained his seat until the parliament was dissolved in 1934.
Following Latvia's occupation by the Soviet Union
, he was exiled to Turkmenistan
due to his Zionist activities. His wife and two children were killed in the Holocaust
, and Nurock made aliyah
to the Mandate Palestine in 1947. He immediately became involved in politics, joining Mizrachi
, and was elected to the first Knesset
in 1949 on the United Religious Front
list (an alliance of Mizrachi, Hapoel HaMizrachi
, Agudat Israel
and Agudat Israel Workers
). Re-elected in 1951, he became the first Minister of Postal Services
in David Ben-Gurion
's third government
on 3 November 1952. In December 1952, he stood as a candidate in the presidential election
, held after the death of Chaim Weizmann
. However, he finished second to Mapai
's Yitzhak Ben-Zvi
. Later in the month the government collapsed and a new government
excluding Mizrachi ministers was established on 24 December, resulting in Nurock losing his place in the cabinet.
Nurock was re-elected in 1955 (by which time Mizrachi had merged into the National Religious Party
), 1959 and 1961, serving until his death on 8 November 1962. He was replaced by Shalom-Avraham Shaki
.
Saeima
Saeima is the parliament of the Republic of Latvia. It is a unicameral parliament consisting of 100 members who are elected by proportional representation, with seats allocated to political parties which gain at least 5% of the popular vote. Elections are scheduled to be held once every four years,...
and Israel
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...
. He was also Israel's first Minister of Postal Services
Communications Minister of Israel
The Communications Minister of Israel is the political head of the Israeli Ministry of Communications and a relatively minor position in the Israeli cabinet. The post was established in 1952, and until 1970 was known as the Minister of Postal Services...
(a post today known as the Minister of Communications), though he only held the post for just under two months.
Biography
Born in TukumsTukums
Tukums is a town in Latvia. Three regions of Latvia meet in the vicinity of Tukums – Vidzeme, Zemgale and Courland. The city was host to the Cold War facility Tukums air base.- History :...
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 Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
), Nurock attended universities in Russia, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, gaining a PhD in philosophy. He was also ordained as a rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
, and replaced his father as rabbi of Jelgava
Jelgava
-Sports:The city's main football team, FK Jelgava, plays in the Latvian Higher League and won the 2009/2010 Latvian Football Cup.- Notable people :*August Johann Gottfried Bielenstein - linguist, folklorist, ethnographer...
in 1913 before moving to Russia in 1915.
A Zionist
Zionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
, he was a delegate at the sixth Zionist Congress in 1903 and helped Jewish refugees 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 also joined the All-Russian Jewish Committee and established a religious Jewish group known as "Tradition and Freedom".
In 1921 he returned to Latvia, by now an independent state. The following year he was elected to the Saeima
Saeima
Saeima is the parliament of the Republic of Latvia. It is a unicameral parliament consisting of 100 members who are elected by proportional representation, with seats allocated to political parties which gain at least 5% of the popular vote. Elections are scheduled to be held once every four years,...
, and became the leader of the minorities' bloc. He retained his seat until the parliament was dissolved in 1934.
Following Latvia's occupation by the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, he was exiled to Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan , formerly also known as Turkmenia is one of the Turkic states in Central Asia. Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic . Turkmenistan is one of the six independent Turkic states...
due to his Zionist activities. His wife and two children were killed in the Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
, and Nurock 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 the Mandate Palestine in 1947. He immediately became involved in politics, joining Mizrachi
Mizrachi (political party)
Mizrachi was a political party in Israel and is one of the ancestors of the modern-day National Religious Party.-History:The Mizrachi movement was founded in 1902 in Vilnius as a religious Zionist organisation. It also had a trade union, Hapoel HaMizrachi, started in 1921...
, and was elected to the first Knesset
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 on the United Religious Front
United Religious Front
The United Religious Front was a political alliance of the four major religious parties in Israel, as well as the Union of Religious Independents, formed to fight the 1949 elections.-History:...
list (an alliance of Mizrachi, Hapoel HaMizrachi
Hapoel HaMizrachi
Hapoel HaMizrachi |Mizrachi]] Workers) was a political party and settlement movement in Israel and is one of the predecessors of the National Religious Party.-History:...
, Agudat Israel
Agudat Israel
Agudat Yisrael began as the original political party representing the ultra-Orthodox population of Israel. It was the umbrella party for almost all ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel, and before that in the British Mandate of Palestine...
and Agudat Israel Workers
Agudat Israel Workers
Poalei Agudat Yisrael was a political party in Poland, and is a minor political party and settlement movement in Israel. It is also known as PAI or PAGI, its Hebrew acronym .-History:...
). Re-elected in 1951, he became the first Minister of Postal Services
Communications Minister of Israel
The Communications Minister of Israel is the political head of the Israeli Ministry of Communications and a relatively minor position in the Israeli cabinet. The post was established in 1952, and until 1970 was known as the Minister of Postal Services...
in 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...
's third government
Third government of Israel
The third government of Israel was formed by David Ben Gurion on 8 October 1951, more than two months after the elections. His Mapai party formed a coalition with Mizrachi, Hapoel HaMizrachi, Agudat Yisrael, Poalei Agudat Yisrael and the three Israeli Arab parties, the Democratic List for Israeli...
on 3 November 1952. In December 1952, he stood as a candidate in the presidential election
Israeli presidential election, 1952
An election to choose the second President of Israel was held in the Knesset on 8 December 1952 following the death of the Israel's first president, Chaim Weizmann on 9 November...
, held after the death of Chaim Weizmann
Chaim Weizmann
Chaim Azriel Weizmann, , was a Zionist leader, President of the Zionist Organization, and the first President of the State of Israel. He was elected on 1 February 1949, and served until his death in 1952....
. However, he finished second to 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...
's Yitzhak Ben-Zvi
Yitzhak Ben-Zvi
Yitzhak Ben-Zvi was a historian, Labor Zionist leader, the second and longest-serving President of Israel.-Biography:...
. Later in the month the government collapsed and a new government
Fourth government of Israel
The fourth government of Israel was formed by David Ben-Gurion during the second Knesset on 24 December 1952. Ben-Gurion dropped the ultra-orthodox parties Agudat Yisrael and Poalei Agudat Yisrael from his coalition and replaced them with the General Zionists and the Progressive Party, who formed...
excluding Mizrachi ministers was established on 24 December, resulting in Nurock losing his place in the cabinet.
Nurock was re-elected in 1955 (by which time Mizrachi had merged into the National Religious Party
National Religious Party
The National Religious Party ) was a political party in Israel representing the religious Zionist movement. Formed in 1956, at the time of its dissolution in 2008, it was the second oldest surviving party in the country after Agudat Yisrael, and was part of every government coalition until 1992...
), 1959 and 1961, serving until his death on 8 November 1962. He was replaced by Shalom-Avraham Shaki
Shalom-Avraham Shaki
Shalom-Avraham Shaki was an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for the National Religious Party between 1962 and 1965.-Biography:...
.