Yosef Aharon Almogi (Hebrew: יוסף אהרון אלמוגי, May 5, 1910 – November 2, 1991) was an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset between 1955 and 1977, as well as holding several ministerial posts.

Yosef Almogi
Ministerial roles
1962Minister without Portfolio
1962–1965Minister of Housing
1962–1965Minister of Development
1968–1974Minister of Labor
Faction represented in the Knesset
1955–1965Mapai
1965–1968Rafi
1968–1969Labor Party
1969–1977Alignment
Personal details
Born5 May 1910
Hrubieszów, Russian Empire
Died2 November 1991(1991-11-02) (aged 81)

Biography edit

Born Josef Karlenboim in Hrubieszów in the Russian Empire (today in Poland), he joined the Dror movement in 1924 and moved to Mandate Palestine in 1930. He served as a commander of the Haganah in Kfar Saba, Tel Aviv (1936) and Haifa (1937). In 1940, he enlisted in the British Army, and fought in Greece. He was captured and spent the remainder of the War in a German POW camp.

Upon returning to Israel after the war, Almogi became active in politics and joined David Ben-Gurion's Mapai. He was active in the Haifa Workers Council, serving as Alternate Secretary from 1947 to 1951 and then Secretary from 1951 to 1959. He was the General Secretary of Mapai from 1959 to 1961.

First elected to the Knesset in the 1955 elections, Almogi was made Minister without Portfolio after the 1961 elections, before taking over the roles of Minister of Housing and Minister of Development in October 1962. When Levi Eshkol replaced Ben-Gurion as PM in 1963, Almogi kept both positions.

However, when Ben-Gurion led a breakaway from Mapai to form Rafi shortly before the 1965 elections, Almogi followed, losing his cabinet position in the process. Elected back to the Knesset on Rafi's list, Almogi became Minister of Labour in July 1968 when together with Mapam, Rafi merged into Eshkol's Alignment (a merger of Mapai and Ahdut HaAvoda). He retained his position after the 1969 elections, but was not included in Golda Meir's cabinet after the 1973 elections.

During his last term in the Knesset, Almogi also briefly served as the mayor of Haifa (1974–1975). He then served as chairman of the World Zionist Organization from 1975 to 1978[1] and head of the Jewish Agency Executive from 1976 to 1978.[2]

He died in Haifa on November 2, 1991.

Bibliography edit

  • Total Commitment. Herzl Press. 1982. ISBN 0-8453-4749-7.
  • The Struggle for Ben-Gurion (in Hebrew). 1988. ISBN 965-248-089-4.
  • Standing Tall: Jewish Soldiers in Nazi Hands. Niv Books. 2023. ISBN 978-965-7816-87-5.

References edit

  1. ^ "Almogi to Resign As Mayor of Haifa but Will Retain Seat in the Knesset". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 8 January 1976. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  2. ^ "Performance Report - Leadership List | The Jewish Agency". www.jewishagency.org. Retrieved 13 December 2021.

External links edit