Menachem Ratzon (, 5 August 1919 – 12 November 1987) was an Israeli politician who served as a member of the first

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

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 ...

Biography

Born in

Petah Tikva Petah Tikva ( he, פֶּתַח תִּקְוָה, , ), also known as ''Em HaMoshavot'' (), is a city in the Central District (Israel), Central District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv. It was founded in 1878, mainly by Haredi Judaism, Haredi Jews of ...

shortly after the end of

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 ...

, Ratzon worked in orchards, industry and as a tour guide.Menachem Ratzon: Public Activities
/ref> He joined the Socialist League, which later evolved into

Hashomer Hatzair Workers Party The Hashomer Hatzair Workers Party of Palestine ( he, מִפְלֶגֶת פּוֹעָלִים הַשׁוֹמֵר הַצָעִיר בְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל ''Mifleget Poalim Hashomer Hatzair be'Eretz Yisrael'') was a Marxism, Marxist- ...

and then

. He served on the actions committee of the

Histadrut Histadrut, or the General Organization of Workers in Israel, originally ( he, ההסתדרות הכללית של העובדים בארץ ישראל, ''HaHistadrut HaKlalit shel HaOvdim B'Eretz Yisrael''), is Israel's national trade union center ...

trade union, and was also a member of Petah Tikva's Workers Council, and director of its planning department. He was placed twenty-first on the Mapam list for the 1949 elections, but missed out on a seat as Mapam won 19 mandates. However, he entered the Knesset on 10 April 1951 as a replacement for Dov Bar-Nir, who resigned his seat. For the July 1951 elections he was placed seventeenth on the party's list, but lost his seat as Mapam was reduced to 15 seats. He was twenty-third on the Mapam list for the 1955 elections,1955 Mapam list
Israel Democracy Institute but again failed to win a seat. He died in 1987 at the age of 68. A street in

is named after him.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ratzon, Menachem 1919 births 1987 deaths Jews from Mandatory Palestine Jewish socialists People from Petah Tikva Israeli trade unionists Mapam politicians Members of the 1st Knesset (1949–1951) Burials at Segula Cemetery Pioneers of Israel