Ben-Zion Halfon (, 1930 – 21 September 1977) was an Israeli 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 1969 and 1977.

Biography

Born in

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to: Cities and other geographic units Greece *Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in ...

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...

in 1930, Halfon was a member of a Zionist youth movement. In 1947 he attempted to make

aliyah Aliyah (, ; he, עֲלִיָּה ''ʿălīyyā'', ) is the immigration of Jews from Jewish diaspora, the diaspora to, historically, the geographical Land of Israel, which is in the modern era chiefly represented by the Israel, State of Israel ...

Mandatory Palestine Mandatory Palestine ( ar, فلسطين الانتدابية '; he, פָּלֶשְׂתִּינָה (א״י) ', where "E.Y." indicates ''’Eretz Yiśrā’ēl'', the Land of Israel) was a geopolitical entity established between 1920 and 1948 ...

via Italy, aboard the

Aliyah Bet ''Aliyah Bet'' ( he, עלייה ב', "Aliyah 'B'" – bet being the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet) was the code name given to illegal immigration by Jews, most of whom were refugees escaping from Nazi Germany, and later Holocaust sur ...

ship ''Medinat HaYehudim''. However, he was detained by the British authorities and sent to an internment camp in

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...

. The following year he reached Israel, and joined the

Palmach The Palmach (Hebrew: , acronym for , ''Plugot Maḥatz'', "Strike Companies") was the elite fighting force of the Haganah, the underground army of the Yishuv (Jewish community) during the period of the British Mandate for Palestine. The Palmach ...

Yiftach Brigade The Yiftach Brigade (also known as the Yiftah Brigade, the 11th Brigade in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War) was an Israeli infantry brigade. It included two Palmach battalions (the 1st and 7th), and later also the 2nd, which was transferred from the ...

, with whom he fought in the

1948 Arab-Israeli War Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...

. He was involved in helping other Libyan Jews who had made aliyah, and in 1949 he was amongst the founders of moshav

Hatzav Hatzav ( he, חָצָב, ''lit.'' Squill) is a moshav in central Israel. Located on Highway 40 between Gedera and Be'er Sheva, it covers 3,200 dunams and falls under the jurisdiction of Be'er Tuvia Regional Council. In it had a population of . ...

. He became involved in the Southern branch of the Moshavim Movement, and became the movement's representative in the Labor Party.Ben-Sion Halfon: Public Activities
Knesset website He served as national co-ordinator of the movement's purchasing organisation and on the board of the Agricultural Bank. In

1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...

he was elected to the Knesset on the Alignment list (an alliance of the Labor Party and

Mapam Mapam ( he, מַפָּ״ם, an acronym for , ) was a left-wing political party in Israel. The party is one of the ancestors of the modern-day Meretz party. History Mapam was formed by a January 1948 merger of the kibbutz-based Hashomer Hatz ...

), and was appointed Deputy

Minister of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister f ...

on 22 December that year. He was re-elected in

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...

but lost his portfolio. He lost his seat in the May 1977 elections, and died in a traffic collision near

Gedera Gedera, or less commonly known as Gdera ( he, גְּדֵרָה), is a town in the southern part of the Shfela region in the Central District of Israel founded in 1884. It is south of Rehovot. In , it had a population of . History Gedera ...

junction a few months later aged 47. In 2006, the archaeological museum in

Nitzana, Israel Nitzana ( he, נִצָּנָה, ניצנה) is an educational youth village and community settlement in southern Israel. Located in the western Negev desert, adjacent to the Egyptian border, it falls under the jurisdiction of Ramat HaNegev Regiona ...

was named after him.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Halfon, Ben-Zion 1930 births 1977 deaths People from Tripoli, Libya Libyan Jews Libyan emigrants to Israel Haganah members Road incident deaths in Israel Israeli people of Libyan-Jewish descent Alignment (Israel) politicians Burials at the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives Members of the 7th Knesset (1969–1974) Members of the 8th Knesset (1974–1977) Deputy ministers of Israel