Moshe Unna
Encyclopedia
Moshe Unna was an Israel
i politician who served as a member of the Knesset
for the United Religious Front
, Hapoel HaMizrachi
and the National Religious Party
between 1949 and 1969.
in Germany
, Unna attended an agricultural school and a rabbinical seminary in Berlin
, earning a diploma in agronomy. He joined the Blue-White and Young Mizrachi
movements, and in 1924 was appointed manager of the Mizrachi agricultural estate in Germany.
In 1927 he made aliyah
to Mandate Palestine, where he worked in orchards. He returned to Germany in 1931 and 1933 as an emissary. In 1934 he joined Youth Aliyah
, which also employed him.
In 1935 he was amongst the founders of the Religious Kibbutz Movement
, and served on its secretariat until 1974. In 1937 he helped establish Tirat Zvi
, a religious Kibbutz in the Beit She'an Valley. In 1940 he became a member of the Assembly of Representatives and the Jewish National Council. Two years later he became a member of Hapoel HaMizrachi
's executive committee, serving as treasurer from 1942 until 1949. In 1944 he moved to kibbutz Sde Eliyahu
.
In 1949 he was elected to the first Knesset
on the United Religious Front List, an alliance of the four major religious parties. He was re-elected on the Hapoel HaMizrachi list in 1951
. In 1955 Hapoel HaMizrachi and Mizrachi
allied to form the National Religious Party (which became a formal merger the following year), and Unna was re-elected
on its list. On 22 March 1956 he was appointed Deputy Minister of Education and Culture, serving until 31 December 1957. He returned to the role on 13 January the following year, but left the cabinet again on 1 July when the NRP left the government.
Unna retained his seat in elections in 1959
, 1961
and 1965
, before losing his seat in the 1969 elections
. He died in 1989 at the age of 86.
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 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:...
, 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:...
and 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...
between 1949 and 1969.
Biography
Born in MannheimMannheim
Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
in 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...
, Unna attended an agricultural school and a rabbinical seminary in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, earning a diploma in agronomy. He joined the Blue-White and Young Mizrachi
Mizrachi (Religious Zionism)
The Mizrachi is the name of the religious Zionist organization founded in 1902 in Vilnius at a world conference of religious Zionists called by Rabbi Yitzchak Yaacov Reines. Bnei Akiva, which was founded in 1929, is the youth movement associated with Mizrachi...
movements, and in 1924 was appointed manager of the Mizrachi agricultural estate in Germany.
In 1927 he 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, where he worked in orchards. He returned to Germany in 1931 and 1933 as an emissary. In 1934 he joined Youth Aliyah
Youth Aliyah
Szold was initially skeptical about the merits of Freier's proposal, as she believed that Germany offered better educational opportunities for Jewish children than Palestine. However, Hitler's rise to power convinced her otherwise. The Nuremberg Laws were enacted in 1935 and on 31 March 1936 German...
, which also employed him.
In 1935 he was amongst the founders of the Religious Kibbutz Movement
Religious Kibbutz Movement
The Religious Kibbutz Movement is an organizational framework for Orthodox kibbutzim in Israel. Its membership includes 19 communities, 16 of them traditional kibbutzim, and two others in the category of moshav shitufi , meaning that they have no communal dining hall or children's house but...
, and served on its secretariat until 1974. In 1937 he helped establish Tirat Zvi
Tirat Zvi
Tirat Zvi is a religious kibbutz in the Beit She'an Valley, ten kilometers south of the city of Beit She'an, Israel, just west of the Jordan River and the Israel-Jordan border. It falls under the jurisdiction of Valley of Springs Regional Council. In 2006, the kibbutz had a population of...
, a religious Kibbutz in the Beit She'an Valley. In 1940 he became a member of the Assembly of Representatives and the Jewish National Council. Two years later he became a member of 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:...
's executive committee, serving as treasurer from 1942 until 1949. In 1944 he moved to kibbutz Sde Eliyahu
Sde Eliyahu
Sde Eliyahu is a religious kibbutz in northern Israel. Located 5 km south of Beit She'an, it falls under the jurisdiction of Valley of Springs Regional Council.-History:...
.
In 1949 he 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...
on the United Religious Front List, an alliance of the four major religious parties. He was re-elected on the Hapoel HaMizrachi list 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...
. In 1955 Hapoel HaMizrachi and 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...
allied to form the National Religious Party (which became a formal merger the following year), and Unna was re-elected
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...
on its list. On 22 March 1956 he was appointed Deputy Minister of Education and Culture, serving until 31 December 1957. He returned to the role on 13 January the following year, but left the cabinet again on 1 July when the NRP left the government.
Unna retained his seat in elections in 1959
Israeli legislative election, 1959
Elections for the fourth Knesset were held in Israel on 3 November 1959. Voter turnout was 81.5%.-Results:¹ The General Zionists and the Progressive Party merged to form the Liberal Party....
, 1961
Israeli legislative election, 1961
Elections for the fifth Knesset were held in Israel on 15 August 1961. Voter turnout was 81.6%.-Results:¹ Eight MKs broke away from Mapai to establish Rafi² Herut and the Liberal Party merged to form Gahal...
and 1965
Israeli legislative election, 1965
Elections for the sixth Knesset were held in Israel on 1 November 1965. Voter turnout was 85.9%.-Background:Prior to the elections, two major alliances were formed; Mapai and Ahdut HaAvoda united to form the Alignment, whilst Herut and the Liberal Party had formed the Gahal alliance towards the end...
, before losing his seat in the 1969 elections
Israeli legislative election, 1969
Elections for the seventh Knesset were held in Israel on 28 October 1969. Voter turnout was 81.7%.-Results:¹ Meir Avizohar defected from the National List to the Alignment² Avner Shaki left the National Religious Party and remained a single MK...
. He died in 1989 at the age of 86.