Benno Cohen (, 30 September 1894 – 24 November 1975) 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 Liberal Party and the Independent Liberals between 1961 and 1965.

Biography

Born in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, Cohen was amongst the leadership of the Blue-White youth movement. He studied at the University of Breslau, where he was a member of the Zionist Students Association, and was certified as a lawyer. He also served in the

German Army The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. During the 1920s he spent time in

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 ...

working on plans for agricultural settlements.Benno Cohen: Public Activities
Knesset website Between 1933 and 1939 he served as general secretary of the German branch of the Zionist Movement. In 1939, Cohen made

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 ...

to Palestine. He was amongst the founders of the

New Aliyah Party The New Aliyah Party ( he, עלייה חדשה, ''Aliyah Hadasha'' lit. ''New Immigration'') was a political party in Mandatory Palestine and Israel. History The party was established in 1942 by immigrants from Austria and Germany who had arrived ...

, which later merged into the Progressive Party. He served as chairman of the Disciplinary Court for civil servants, and also worked as a lecturer at the School for Jurisprudence and Economics in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

. In

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba ( Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 ...

, he was elected to the Knesset on the Liberal Party list (which had been formed by a merger of the Progressive Party and the

General Zionists The General Zionists ( he, הַצִיּוֹנִים הַכְּלָלִיים, translit. ''HaTzionim HaKlaliym'') were a centrist Zionist movement and a political party in Israel. The General Zionists supported the leadership of Chaim Weizmann an ...

). In 1965, Cohen was amongst the group of former Progressive Party members that broke away to form the Independent Liberals, before losing his seat in

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operate ...

later that year. He died in 1975 at the age of 81.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cohen, Benno 1894 births 1975 deaths Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to Mandatory Palestine University of Breslau alumni Israeli educators Members of the 5th Knesset (1961–1965) Liberal Party (Israel) politicians Independent Liberals (Israel) politicians