Shlomo-Ya'akov Gross (, born 6 December 1908, died 7 July 2003) 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

Agudat Yisrael Agudat Yisrael ( he, אֲגוּדָּת יִשְׂרָאֵל, lit., ''Union of Israel'', also transliterated ''Agudath Israel'', or, in Yiddish, ''Agudas Yisroel'') is a Haredi Jewish political party in Israel. It began as a political party re ...

and the

Religious Torah Front The Religious Torah Front ( he, חזית דתית תורתית, ''Hazit Datit Toratit'') was a political alliance in Israel composed of Agudat Yisrael and Poalei Agudat Yisrael. History The Religious Torah Front was formed when the Ultra-orthod ...

in several spells between 1959 and 1981.

Biography

Born in the Hungarian part of

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

, Gross was educated at a

heder A ''cheder'' ( he, חדר, lit. "room"; Yiddish pronunciation ''kheyder'') is a traditional primary school teaching the basics of Judaism and the Hebrew language. History ''Cheders'' were widely found in Europe before the end of the 18th ...

and

yeshiva A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are s ...

s, and was a member of Young

in Translyvania, later becoming the secretary of the Transylvanian branch of Agudat Yisrael. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

he was imprisoned in a forced labour camp, and his wife and two children were killed in

Auschwitz Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It con ...

. After his camp was liberated by the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

, he and some friends established an absorption centre for Holocaust orphans and orphans of the

Theresienstadt concentration camp Theresienstadt Ghetto was established by the Schutzstaffel, SS during World War II in the fortress town of Terezín, in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (German occupation of Czechoslovakia, German-occupied Czechoslovakia). Theresienstad ...

expulsion. In 1950, he 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 ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

, where he worked for the Central Bureau of Statistics. He was on the

list (an alliance of Agudat Yisrael and

Poalei Agudat Yisrael Poalei Agudat Yisrael ( he, פועלי אגודת ישראל, , Agudat Yisrael Workers) was a trade union and Jewish political party in Poland and a minor political party in Israel. It was also known as PAI or PAGI, its Hebrew acronym (Hebrew: o ...

) for the 1955 elections, but failed to win a seat. However, he entered the Knesset on 2 March 1959 as a replacement for the deceased

Zalman Ben-Ya'akov Zalman Ben-Ya'akov ( he, זלמן בן-יעקב, born 1897, died 2 March 1959) was an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Agudat Yisrael and the Religious Torah Front between 1953 and 1959. Biography Born in Sieradz in th ...

. Although he lost his seat in the November 1959 elections, he returned to the Knesset as a replacement for the deceased

Binyamin Mintz Binyamin Mintz ( he, בנימין מינץ, 12 January 1903 – 30 May 1961) was an Israeli politician who served briefly as Minister of Postal Services from July 1960 until his death. Biography Born in Łódź in the Russian Empire (today ...

on 30 May 1961. He retained his seat in elections 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 ...

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...

and 1969, but resigned his seat on 27 November 1972, and was replaced by Ya'akov Mizrahi.Knesset Members of the Seventh Knesset
Knesset website Gross was given a place on the Religious Torah Front for the 1973 elections, but failed to win a seat. However, he returned to the Knesset again on 23 November 1975 as a replacement for

Menachem Porush Menachem Porush ( he, מנחם פרוש, 2 April 1916 – 22 February 2010) was an Israelis, Israel politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Agudat Yisrael and its alliances between 1959 and 1975, and again from 1977 until 1994. ...

. He went on to retain his seat in the 1977 elections, but lost it for a final time in the 1981 elections. During his tenure in the Knesset, he was involved in trying to eliminate the court

oath Traditionally an oath (from Anglo-Saxon ', also called plight) is either a statement of fact or a promise taken by a sacrality as a sign of verity. A common legal substitute for those who conscientiously object to making sacred oaths is to ...

and to save moshav Kfar Gidon from collapse. He died in 2003 at the age of 94.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gross, Shlomo 1908 births 2003 deaths Hungarian emigrants to Israel Hungarian Jews People from Transylvania Agudat Yisrael politicians Religious Torah Front politicians Members of the 3rd Knesset (1955–1959) Members of the 4th Knesset (1959–1961) Members of the 5th Knesset (1961–1965) Members of the 6th Knesset (1965–1969) Members of the 7th Knesset (1969–1974) Members of the 8th Knesset (1974–1977) Members of the 9th Knesset (1977–1981)