User:Longhornsg/sandbox1
Dr. Mordechai Eliash (1892-March 11, 1950) was an influential figure in the Zionist movement as one of the leading Orthodox Zionist activists, and in the the early years of the State of Israel as a statesman and diplomat. After the establishment of the State of Israel, he served as the country's first Ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1948 until his death.
Biography[edit]
Eliash was born in Uman, then part of the Russian Empire, in 1892. He received a religious education, before studying law and Oriental studies in Berlin and at Oxford University, where he received a B.Litt in 1919 with the thesis, The Risala of Shafi'i. In 1919, Eliash moved to Mandatory Palestine.[1]
At a time when most Zionists were not observant Jews, and most observant Jews were not Zionists, he quickly became one of the leading lawyers in Mandatory Palestine.[2] He served in the Jewish Agency's legal department and was a legal advisor to the Jewish National Council.[3]
With the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the formation of Mandatory Palestine under British administration, there was an increase in activity among of the Hebrew Courts of Arbitration, and the Hebrew Law Society was newly reestablished in Palestine. Eliash, along with other prominent Jewish lawyers in Palestine, such as Norman Bentwich and Gad Frumkin joined the society, which published two scholarly journals and founded two legal presses. By 1925, Eliash was vice president of the society and co-editor of its journal Ha-Mishpat ha-'Ivri.[4]
Zionist activities[edit]
1929 Palestine riots[edit]
In the aftermath of the 1929 Palestine riots in Jerusalem, a British court had sentenced Simcha Hinkis, a Jewish policeman, and Joseph Urphali to death for allegedly killing an Arab family during the riots. Eliash represented Hinkis and Urphali at trial. Both men won appeals of their sentences in 1930 and had their punishments commuted to prison time.[5][6]
Eliash served as a witness to the Shaw Commission established by the British Mandatory government.[citation needed]
1930 Western Wall Commission[edit]
Eliash was one of the representatives of the Jewish community to the 1930 Wailing Wall Commission set up to investigate competing Muslim and Jewish claims to the Western Wall. He worked alongside David Yellin, Meer Berlin, Kook, Sonnenfeld, and Blau to present the Jewish case, largely based on the arguments of Cyrus Adler, then with the American Jewish Committee and the Jewish Theological Seminary.[7]
Other[edit]
Eliash was stabbed in the throat and chest by two men, who he believed to be Jews, while walking the streets of Jerusalem on January 30, 1936.[8]
Diplomatic career[edit]
he was the first Israel diplomatic envoy to speak for his government before the United Nations at Lake Success.[9]
On February 14, 1959, Eliash was appointed as the first Israeli Ambassador to the United Kingdom.[10] After Britain granted Israel de facto recognition, Eliash returned to London on April 5, 1949, to begin service as ambassador.[9] The appointment of the religious Eliash to the post was regarded as a sensitive gesture, as the Jewish Agency had neglected relations with synagogues in the United Kingdom. According to scholar Natan Aridan, Eliash's regular appearances, including leading prayers, at the St John's Wood United Synagogue, an influential center of Anglo Jewry, was a key factor in improving ties with the Jewish community. Eliash also directed energy into cultivating ties with anti-Zionist Jews.[3]
On October 31, 1949, Eliash gave an address over the airwaves of the British Broadcasting Company's first transmission in Hebrew.[11]
Personal[edit]
Eliash died of a heart attack in London during the Sabbath on March 11, 1950, at the age of 57. He was predeceased by his wife. He had a daughter, Rachel, and a son, Moshe.[9] At Eliash's funeral in Jerusalem on March 15, 1950, he was eulogized by senior members of the Israeli government, including Israeli Foreign Minister and future Prime Minister Moshe Sharett and Chief Rabbi Benzion Uziel. Then-Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion interrupted his vacation to attend. Eliash was buried in Sanhedria Cemetery in Jerusalem.[12]
Legacy[edit]
The Jewish Telegraphic Agency described Eliash as "one of the men credited with helping bring about the establishment of the Jewish state."[9]
Mordechai Eliash Street https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kfar_Mordechai
References[edit]
- ^ Behn, Wolfgang (2004). Concise Biographical Companion to Index Islamicus. Brill. p. 481. ISBN 9789047413905.
- ^ Hofri-Winogradow, Adam (August 2012). "Zionist Settlers and the English Private Trust in Mandate Palestine". Law and History Review. 30 (3): 813–864. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ a b Aridan, Natan (Spring 2005). "Anglo-Jewry and the State of Israel: Defining the Relationship, 1948-1956". Israel Studies. 10 (1): 124–156. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ Likhovski, Assaf (Spring 1998). "The Invention of "Hebrew Law" in Mandatory Palestine". The American Journal of Comparative Law. 46 (2). Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ "Death Sentence of Hinkis Commuted to 15 Years in Prison by Court of Appeal". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 1930-03-12. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
- ^ "Urphali, Only Jew Under Death Sentence, Reprieved; Gets 10 Years in Prison". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 1930-08-08. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
- ^ "Moslem Youths in Egypt Prepared for Holy War to Defend Wailing Wall". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 1930-06-24. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
- ^ "Mordecai Eliash, Stabbed While Walking, Says Assailants Were Jews". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 1936-01-31. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Dr. Mordecai Eliash, Israel Envoy to Britain, Dies; Burial to Take Place in Jerusalem". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 1950-03-13. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ "Mordecai Eliash Appointed Israeli Envoy to United Kingdom: Liberia Recognizes Israel". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 1949-02-14. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
- ^ "B.b.c. Broadcasts to Israel in Hebrew Language Inaugurated; Eliash Speaks". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 1949-10-31.
- ^ "Israel Cabinet Members and Consular Corps Attend Funeral of Dr. Eliash in Jerusalem". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 1950-03-15. Retrieved 14 July 2023.