Rafael Suissa
Encyclopedia
Rafael "Rafi" Suissa is an Israel
i politician who served as a member of the Knesset
for the Alignment
between 1981 and 1984, and as mayor of Mazkeret Batya
on three occasions. He is currently a member of Mazkeret Batya local council.
in Morocco
in 1935, Suissa made aliyah
to Israel in 1950 and was amongst the founders of moshav
Komemiyut
. He served in the IDF
and was injured during the Suez Crisis
. Between 1950 and 1960 he worked as director of an unemployment office in Yavne
, and as for Amidar
between 1950 and 1956. In 1956 he moved to Mazkeret Batya, and in 1965 was elected onto Mazkeret Batya
its local council, holding the posts of director of the labor department, secretary and treasurer. During 1969 he served as mayor.
After the formation of the Labor Party by a merger of Mapai, Rafi and Ahdut HaAvoda
, Suissa became a member of its secretariat and central committee, and chaired its Judea
branch. He was elected to the Knesset on the Alignment list (an alliance of the Labor Party and Mapam
) in 1981
and sat on the Internal Affairs and Environment Committee until losing his seat in the 1984 elections
. He also served as mayor of Mazkeret Batya again between 1982 and 1984.
Between 1984 and 1986 he worked as Commissioner of the Israel Prison Service
, and also founded the Association to Rehabilitate Prisoners.
In the 1988 Knesset elections
he headed a party named the Movement for Social Justice, but it won only 3,222 votes (0.1%) and failed to cross the electoral threshold. He became mayor of Mazkeret Batya again in 1993, holding the post until 2003. He later joined Kadima
, and was placed 113th on the list in 2006 and 115th in 2009
. He remains a member of Mazkeret Batya council.
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 1984, and as mayor of Mazkeret Batya
Mazkeret Batya
Mazkeret Batya is a town in the center of Israel located southeast of Rehovot and from Tel-Aviv. Mazkeret Batya spans an area of 7,440 dunams . In December 2008, it had a population of 9,900. The mayor of Mazkeret Batya is Meir Dahan.-History:Mazkeret Batya was established on November 7, 1883 by...
on three occasions. He is currently a member of Mazkeret Batya local council.
Biography
Born in CasablancaCasablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
in Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
in 1935, Suissa 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 Israel in 1950 and was amongst the founders of moshav
Moshav
Moshav is a type of Israeli town or settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists during the second aliyah...
Komemiyut
Komemiyut
Komemiyut is an ultra-orthodox-Hasidic moshav in south-central Israel. Located in the southern Shephelah near Kiryat Gat, it falls under the jurisdiction of Shafir Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 248.The village was established in 1950....
. He served in the IDF
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
and was injured during the Suez Crisis
Suez Crisis
The Suez Crisis, also referred to as the Tripartite Aggression, Suez War was an offensive war fought by France, the United Kingdom, and Israel against Egypt beginning on 29 October 1956. Less than a day after Israel invaded Egypt, Britain and France issued a joint ultimatum to Egypt and Israel,...
. Between 1950 and 1960 he worked as director of an unemployment office in Yavne
Yavne
Yavne is a city in the Central District of Israel. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics , at the end of 2009 the city had a population of 33,000.-History:...
, and as for Amidar
Amidar
Amidar is an arcade game programmed by Konami and published in 1981 by Stern. Its basic format is similar to that of Pac-Man: the player moves around a fixed rectilinear lattice, attempting to visit each location on the board while avoiding the enemies...
between 1950 and 1956. In 1956 he moved to Mazkeret Batya, and in 1965 was elected onto Mazkeret Batya
Mazkeret Batya
Mazkeret Batya is a town in the center of Israel located southeast of Rehovot and from Tel-Aviv. Mazkeret Batya spans an area of 7,440 dunams . In December 2008, it had a population of 9,900. The mayor of Mazkeret Batya is Meir Dahan.-History:Mazkeret Batya was established on November 7, 1883 by...
its local council, holding the posts of director of the labor department, secretary and treasurer. During 1969 he served as mayor.
After the formation of the Labor Party by a merger of Mapai, Rafi and Ahdut HaAvoda
Ahdut HaAvoda
Ahdut HaAvoda was the name used by a sequence of political parties that existed firstly during Mandate Palestine and later in Israel. Its original version, led by David Ben-Gurion, is one of the main ancestors of the modern-day Israeli Labor Party....
, Suissa became a member of its secretariat and central committee, and chaired its Judea
Judea
Judea or Judæa was the name of the mountainous southern part of the historic Land of Israel from the 8th century BCE to the 2nd century CE, when Roman Judea was renamed Syria Palaestina following the Jewish Bar Kokhba revolt.-Etymology:The...
branch. He was elected to the Knesset on the Alignment list (an alliance of the Labor Party 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...
) 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...
and sat on the Internal Affairs and Environment Committee until losing his seat in the 1984 elections
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...
. He also served as mayor of Mazkeret Batya again between 1982 and 1984.
Between 1984 and 1986 he worked as Commissioner of the Israel Prison Service
Israel Prison Service
The Israel Prison Service , commonly known in Israel by its acronym Shabas , is the prison service of Israel. It is responsible for maintaining civilian prisons in Israel, as well as detention centers for security prisoners. It is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Public Security...
, and also founded the Association to Rehabilitate Prisoners.
In the 1988 Knesset elections
Israeli legislative election, 1988
Elections for the twelfth Knesset were held in Israel on 1 November 1988. Voter turnout was 79.7%.-Results:1 Five members of the Likud left to form the Party for the Advancement of the Zionist Idea; after two returned, the party was renamed the New Liberal Party...
he headed a party named the Movement for Social Justice, but it won only 3,222 votes (0.1%) and failed to cross the electoral threshold. He became mayor of Mazkeret Batya again in 1993, holding the post until 2003. He later joined Kadima
Kadima
Kadima is a centrist and liberal political party in Israel. It was established on 24 November 2005 by moderates from Likud largely to support the issue of Ariel Sharon's unilateral disengagement plan, and was soon joined by like-minded Labor politicians...
, and was placed 113th on the list in 2006 and 115th in 2009
Israeli legislative election, 2009
Elections for the 18th Knesset were held in Israel on 10 February 2009. These elections became necessary due to the resignation of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as leader of the Kadima party, and the failure of his successor, Tzipi Livni, to form a coalition government...
. He remains a member of Mazkeret Batya council.