Aviad Yafeh (, 12 September 1923 – 19 May 1977) was an Israeli diplomat and politician who served as a member of the

Knesset The Knesset ( he, הַכְּנֶסֶת ; "gathering" or "assembly") is the unicameral legislature of Israel. As the supreme state body, the Knesset is sovereign and thus has complete control of the entirety of the Israeli government (with ...

for the

Alignment Alignment may refer to: Archaeology * Alignment (archaeology), a co-linear arrangement of features or structures with external landmarks * Stone alignment, a linear arrangement of upright, parallel megalithic standing stones Biology * Structu ...

between 1972 and 1977.

Biography

Born in

Rehovot Rehovot ( he, רְחוֹבוֹת ''Rəḥōvōt'', ar, رحوڤوت ''Reḥūfūt'') is a city in the Central District of Israel, about south of Tel Aviv. In it had a population of . Etymology Israel Belkind, founder of the Bilu movement, ...

in 1923, Yafeh's family moved to

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

a month after his birth, and were amongst the founders of the Beit HaKerem neighbourhood. One of the leaders of Maccabi Hatzair, in 1936 he joined the

Haganah Haganah ( he, הַהֲגָנָה, lit. ''The Defence'') was the main Zionist paramilitary organization of the Jewish population ("Yishuv") in Mandatory Palestine between 1920 and its disestablishment in 1948, when it became the core of the ...

. Between 1942 and 1945 he taught at a high school and the David Yellin College of Education in Beit HaKerem. He also studied humanities at the

Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...

. During the Siege of Jerusalem in 1948, he fought at al Qastal. Following Israeli independence, he took a course in diplomacy, and joined the

Foreign Service Diplomatic service is the body of diplomats and foreign policy officers maintained by the government of a country to communicate with the governments of other countries. Diplomatic personnel obtains diplomatic immunity when they are accredited to o ...

. In 1953 he was appointed First Secretary at the embassy in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, where he worked until 1956. Between 1957 and 1962 he worked as a consul in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, and was responsible for the information centre. From 1962 until 1965 he served as Director of the Information Department in the Foreign Affairs Ministry, before serving as political secretary and head of the Prime Minister's Office for

Levi Eshkol Levi Eshkol ( he, לֵוִי אֶשְׁכּוֹל ;‎ 25 October 1895 – 26 February 1969), born Levi Yitzhak Shkolnik ( he, לוי יצחק שקולניק, links=no), was an Israeli statesman who served as the third Prime Minister of Israe ...

and

Golda Meir Golda Meir, ; ar, جولدا مائير, Jūldā Māʾīr., group=nb (born Golda Mabovitch; 3 May 1898 – 8 December 1978) was an Israeli politician, teacher, and ''kibbutznikit'' who served as the fourth prime minister of Israel from 1969 to 1 ...

between 1965 and 1972. Although he had been on the Alignment list for the 1969 Knesset elections, Yafeh had failed to win a seat. However, he entered the Knesset on 5 April 1972 as a replacement for the deceased

Reuven Barkat Reuven Barkat ( he, ראובן ברקת, born Reuven Borstein 25 October 1906 – 5 April 1972) was an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for the Alignment and the Labor Party from 1965 until his death in 1972. Biogra ...

.Knesset Members of the Seventh Knesset
Knesset website He retained his seat in the 1973 elections, but lost it in

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...

. Yafeh was a member of the executive at

Yad Levi Eshkol Yad Levi Eshkol () is the official non-governmental organization commemorating Israeli prime minister Levi Eshkol. The organization was founded in accordance with a government resolution made in 1970. Yad Levi Eshkol is carrying public activities ...

. After leaving the Knesset he became director general of the

Jewish Agency The Jewish Agency for Israel ( he, הסוכנות היהודית לארץ ישראל, translit=HaSochnut HaYehudit L'Eretz Yisra'el) formerly known as The Jewish Agency for Palestine, is the largest Jewish non-profit organization in the world. ...

and the

World Zionist Organization The World Zionist Organization ( he, הַהִסְתַּדְּרוּת הַצִּיּוֹנִית הָעוֹלָמִית; ''HaHistadrut HaTzionit Ha'Olamit''), or WZO, is a non-governmental organization that promotes Zionism. It was founded as the ...

. However, he died in May 1977 at the age of 53.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Yafeh, Aviad 1923 births 1977 deaths People from Rehovot Politicians from Jerusalem Haganah members Israeli educators Hebrew University of Jerusalem alumni Israeli consuls Israeli civil servants Alignment (Israel) politicians Heads of the Jewish Agency for Israel Jews from Mandatory Palestine Members of the 7th Knesset (1969–1974) Members of the 8th Knesset (1974–1977) Burials at Har HaMenuchot