Shulamit Aloni ( he, שולמית אלוני; 29 December 1928 – 24 January 2014) was an Israeli politician. She founded the
Ratz party, was leader of the
Meretz party,
Leader of the Opposition
The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...
from 1988 to 1990, and served as
Minister of Education from 1992 to 1993. In 2000, she won the
Israel Prize
The Israel Prize ( he, פרס ישראל; ''pras israél'') is an award bestowed by the State of Israel, and regarded as the state's highest cultural honor.
History
The Israel Prize is awarded annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state cer ...
.
Biography
Early life
Shulamit Adler was born 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 ...
. Her mother was a seamstress and her father was a carpenter, both descended from Polish rabbinical families. The family migrated to
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 ...
when she was a child, and Aloni grew up in Tel Aviv. She was sent to
boarding school
A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...
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 ...
while her parents served in the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
. As a youth she was a member of the socialist Zionist
Hashomer Hatzair
Hashomer Hatzair ( he, הַשׁוֹמֵר הַצָעִיר, , ''The Young Guard'') is a Labor Zionist, secular Jewish youth movement founded in 1913 in the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, Austria-Hungary, and it was also the name of the group ...
youth movement and 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 ...
. During the
1948 Arab–Israeli War
The 1948 (or First) Arab–Israeli War was the second and final stage of the 1948 Palestine war. It formally began following the end of the British Mandate for Palestine at midnight on 14 May 1948; the Israeli Declaration of Independence had ...
, she was involved in military struggles for the
Old City of
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
and was captured by
Jordan
Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
ian forces. Following the establishment of the state of Israel, she worked with child refugees and helped establish a school for immigrant children. She taught in a school while studying law. After her marriage in 1952 to Reuven Aloni, the founder of
Israel Lands Administration
The Israel Land Administration (ILA; he, מנהל מקרקעי ישראל, Minhal Mekarka'ei Yisra'el; ar, مديرية أراضي اسرائيل) is an Israeli government authority responsible for managing land in Israel which is in the public d ...
, she moved to
Kfar Shmaryahu
Kfar Shmaryahu ( he, כְּפַר שְׁמַרְיָהוּ, ar, كفار شمرياهو) is a local council in Israel, within the Tel Aviv District.
History
Kfar Shmaryahu was founded in May 1937, during the Fifth Aliyah. The founding members ...
.
Aloni joined
Mapai
Mapai ( he, מַפָּא"י, an acronym for , ''Mifleget Poalei Eretz Yisrael'', lit. "Workers' Party of the Land of Israel") was a democratic socialist political party in Israel, and was the dominant force in Israeli politics until its merger in ...
in 1959. She also worked as an attorney and hosted a radio show ''Outside Working Hours'' that dealt with
human rights
Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...
and
women's rights
Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...
. She also wrote columns for several newspapers.
Political career
In 1965, Aloni was elected to the Knesset on the list of 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 ...
, an alliance of Mapai and
Ahdut HaAvoda
Ahdut HaAvoda ( he, אַחְדוּת הַעֲבוֹדָה, lit. ''Labour Unity'') was the name used by a series of political parties. Ahdut HaAvoda in its first incarnation was led by David Ben-Gurion. It was first established during the period ...
, and subsequently founded the
Israel Consumers Council, which she chaired for four years. She left the Alignment in 1973 and established the Citizens Rights Movement, which became known as
Ratz. The party advocated
electoral reform
Electoral reform is a change in electoral systems which alters how public desires are expressed in election results. That can include reforms of:
* Voting systems, such as proportional representation, a two-round system (runoff voting), instant-ru ...
, separation of religion and state and human rights and won three seats in the
1973 Knesset elections. Ratz initially joined the Alignment-led government with Aloni as
Minister without Portfolio
A minister without portfolio is either a government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister who does not head a particular ministry. The sinecure is particularly common in countries ruled by coalition governments and a cabinet w ...
but she resigned immediately in protest at the appointment of
Yitzhak Rafael
Yitzhak Rafael ( he, יצחק רפאל, 5 July 1914 – 3 August 1999) was an Israeli politician. He served as Deputy Minister of Health in the 1960s and Minister of Religions in the mid-1970s.
Biography
Yitzhak Rafael was born in Sasiv in Gali ...
as Minister of Religions. Ratz briefly became
Ya'ad – Civil Rights Movement
Ya'ad – Civil Rights Movement ( he, יעד – תנועה לזכויות האזרח, ''Ya'ad – Tenoa'a LaZkhuyot HaEzrah''), commonly known as just Ya'ad, was a short-lived political party in Israel. It is not related to the other party by the ...
when independent MK
Aryeh Eliav joined the party, but returned to its original status soon after.
Throughout the 1970s Aloni attempted to create a dialogue with
Palestinians
Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...
in hopes of achieving a lasting peace settlement. During the
1982 Lebanon War
The 1982 Lebanon War, dubbed Operation Peace for Galilee ( he, מבצע שלום הגליל, or מבצע של"ג ''Mivtsa Shlom HaGalil'' or ''Mivtsa Sheleg'') by the Israeli government, later known in Israel as the Lebanon War or the First L ...
she established the International Center for Peace in the Middle East. In the run-up to the
1984 elections, Ratz aligned with
Peace Now
Peace Now ( he, שלום עכשיו ''Shalom Achshav'', ) is a non-governmental organization, liberal advocacy and activist group in Israel with the aim of promoting a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Objectives/position ...
and the
Left Camp of Israel
The Left Camp of Israel ( he, מחנה שמאל לישראל, ''Maḥaneh Smol LeYisrael'') was a Israeli left-wing politics, left-wing List of political parties in Israel, political party in Israel. It was also known as Sheli ( he, של"י), an ...
to increase its size in the Knesset to five seats. In 1992, she led Ratz into an alliance with
Shinui
Shinui ( he, שִׁינּוּי, lit. ''Change'') was a Zionist, secular, and anti-clerical free market liberal party and political movement in Israel. The party twice became the third-largest in the Knesset, but both occasions were followed by a ...
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 ...
to form the new
Meretz party, which won 12 seats under her leadership in the
elections that year. Aloni became
Minister of Education under
Yitzhak Rabin
Yitzhak Rabin (; he, יִצְחָק רַבִּין, ; 1 March 1922 – 4 November 1995) was an Israeli politician, statesman and general. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Israel, serving two terms in office, 1974–77, and from 1992 until h ...
but was forced to resign after a year due to her outspoken statements on matters of religion. As Education Minister, she also criticized organized tours by Israeli high school pupils to
Holocaust
The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...
concentration camp
Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...
s on grounds that such visits were turning Israeli youth into aggressive, nationalistic xenophobes, claiming that students "march with unfurled flags, as if they've come to conquer Poland". She was reappointed
Minister of Communications and
Science and Culture
Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe.
Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...
.
After the signing of the
Oslo Accords
The Oslo Accords are a pair of agreements between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO): the Oslo I Accord, signed in Washington, D.C., in 1993; in 1993, Aloni expressed her sentiments that the agreements were a positive turning point on an historic scale: "I feel like on the 29th of November
he_date_of_the_United_Nations_Partition_Plan_for_Palestine.html" ;"title="United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine">he date of the
United_Nations_Partition_Plan_for_Palestine">he_date_of_the_United_Nations_Partition_Plan_for_Palestine_we_did_not_know_then_what_we_were_heading_for,_but_we_knew_we_were_heading_for_great_days."
After_the_Cave_of_the_Patriarchs_massacre.html" ;"title="United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine">United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine">he date of the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine we did not know then what we were heading for, but we knew we were heading for great days."
After the Cave of the Patriarchs massacre">massacre of 29 Muslims in Hebron, West Bank on February 25, 1994, perpetrated by Baruch Goldstein, Aloni called for the expulsion of Israeli settlement, Jewish settlers from Hebron.
After the 1996 Knesset election, in which Meretz lost three of its seats, Aloni was ousted from Meretz leadership, with
Yossi Sarid
Yossi Sarid ( he, יוסי שריד; 24 October 1940 – 4 December 2015) was an Israeli politician and news commentator. He served as a member of the Knesset for the Alignment, Ratz and Meretz between 1974 and 2006. A former Minister of ...
being
elected to succeed her as leader of Meretz. She then retired from politics.
Last years
In a 2002 interview with American journalist
Amy Goodman
Amy Goodman (born April 13, 1957) is an American broadcast journalist, syndicated columnist, investigative reporter, and author. Her investigative journalism career includes coverage of the East Timor independence movement, Morocco's occupation ...
, Aloni said that charges of
antisemitism
Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism.
Antis ...
are "a trick we use" to suppress
criticism of Israel
Criticism of the Israeli government, often referred to simply as criticism of Israel, is a subject of journalistic and scholarly commentary and research within the scope of international relations theory, expressed in terms of political science. ...
coming from within the United States, while for criticism coming from Europe "we bring up the Holocaust." Citations of this quote are likely to be misleading if they imply Aloni intended these words to be taken literally, as a confession to a political strategy of a collective "we" in which she includes herself. The necessary context, that Aloni is in fact a left-wing critic of the Israeli political establishment, indicates that she is using the word 'we' in a sardonic way, consistent with bleak Jewish humour. The usage is similar to how American opponents to the War in Iraq might say 'We invaded Iraq to take their oil'.
Aloni was a board member of
Yesh Din
Yesh Din: Volunteers for Human Rights ( he, יש דין) is an Israeli organization working in Israel and in the West Bank. The organization was founded in 2005 by a group of women who previously worked with the organization Machsom Watch. The p ...
, an organisation founded in 2005 which focuses on human rights in the occupied
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories are the two regions of the former British Mandate for Palestine that have been militarily occupied by Israel since the Six-Day War of 1967, namely: the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip. The I ...
.
Personal life
With her husband, Reuven Aloni, she had three sons:
* Dror Aloni – later mayor of
Kfar Shmaryahu
Kfar Shmaryahu ( he, כְּפַר שְׁמַרְיָהוּ, ar, كفار شمرياهو) is a local council in Israel, within the Tel Aviv District.
History
Kfar Shmaryahu was founded in May 1937, during the Fifth Aliyah. The founding members ...
and head of
Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium
The Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium ( he, הַגִּימְנַסְיָה הָעִבְרִית הֶרְצְלִיָּה, ''HaGymnasia HaIvrit Herzliya'', Also known as ''Gymnasia Herzliya''), originally known as HaGymnasia HaIvrit (lit. Hebrew High Scho ...
* Nimrod Aloni – an education philosopher
*
Udi Aloni
Udi Aloni ( he, אודי אלוני; born December 10, 1959) is an Israeli American filmmaker, writer, visual artist and political activist whose works focus on the interrelationships between art, theory, and action. Biography
Udi Aloni is the ...
– a film director, writer and artist
Reuven Aloni died in 1988.
File:Shulamit Aloni as a young girl.jpeg, Young Shulamit in the 1940s.
File:Shulamit Aloni with her mother.jpg, Shulamit Aloni as a young woman with her mother.
File:Shulamit Aloni with Reuven Aloni.jpeg, Shulamit and Reuven Aloni in the 1980s.
File:Shulamit Aloni.jpg, Aloni in 2002 at a Peace Now
Peace Now ( he, שלום עכשיו ''Shalom Achshav'', ) is a non-governmental organization, liberal advocacy and activist group in Israel with the aim of promoting a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Objectives/position ...
demonstration.
File:Shulamit Aloni with 3 of her grandchildren.jpg, Aloni with grandchildren in the 2000s.
Shulamit Aloni Prize
In 2018, the Shulamit Aloni Prize was established. The prize is awarded by the Shulamit Aloni Foundation, a non-profit organization created by a group of Aloni's family members and leading media and cultural professionals for this purpose. The prize, which bears a monetary award, is bestowed to its recipients each year in the
Jaffa Theater (aka The Arab-Hebrew Theater), to creators of cultural works (theater, film, poetry and prose) in both
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
and
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
whose work promotes
human rights
Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...
. Inaugural prize recipients included
Rana Abu Fraihah (Arabic Culture Prize),
Renana Raz (Hebrew Culture Prize) and
Sami Michael
Sami Michael ( he, סמי מיכאל, ar, سامي ميخائيل; born August 15, 1926) is an Israeli author, having migrated from Iraq to Israel at the age of 23. Since 2001, Michael has been the President of The Association for Civil Rights ...
(Lifetime Achievement Prize). Additional prize recipients include
Ayat Abou Shmeiss for Arabic Culture, and
Achinoam Nini
Achinoam Nini ( he, אחינועם ניני, Aẖinóʿam Nini; born ), also known professionally as Noa (), is an Israeli singer-songwriter, percussionist, poet, composer, and human rights activist working internationally. She is accompanied by ...
for Lifetime Achievement.
Awards and recognition
*In 1994, received an
honorary PhD in Humanities from
Hebrew Union College
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
.
*In 1994, received an honorary PhD of Law from
Kon-Kuk University.
*In 1998, Aloni received a special lifetime award of the
Emil Grunzweig Human Rights Award
The Emil Grunzweig Human Rights Award is an award made annually by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel to "an individual or NGO that has made a unique contribution to the advancement of human rights in Israel". The award was established in ...
by the
Association for Civil Rights in Israel
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) (Hebrew: ; Arabic: ) was created in 1972 as an independent, non-partisan not-for-profit organization with the mission of protecting human rights and civil rights in Israel and the territories u ...
.
*In 1999, received an honorary PhD of Philosophy from the
Weitzman Institute of Science.
*In 2000, she received the
Israel Prize
The Israel Prize ( he, פרס ישראל; ''pras israél'') is an award bestowed by the State of Israel, and regarded as the state's highest cultural honor.
History
The Israel Prize is awarded annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state cer ...
, for her lifetime achievements and special contribution to society and the State of Israel.
Published works
* ''The Citizen and His Country'', 1958
*''Children's Rights in Israel'',1964 (Hebrew)
*''The Arrangement - From a State of Law to a State of Religion, on Relations Between State and Religion'', 1970 (Hebrew)
*''Women as Human Beings'', 1976 (Hebrew)
*"Up the down escalator" in ''
Sisterhood Is Global: The International Women's Movement Anthology'', ed.
Robin Morgan
Robin Morgan (born January 29, 1941) is an American poet, writer, activist, journalist, lecturer and former child actor. Since the early 1960s, she has been a key radical feminist member of the American Women's Movement, and a leader in the ...
, 1984.
*''Democracy in Shackles'' (''Demokratia be'azikim''), ''Am Oved''
*''Israel: Democracy or Ethnocracy?'' published in 2008
See also
*
List of Israel Prize recipients
This is a complete list of recipients of the Israel Prize from the inception of the Prize in 1953 through to 2022.
List
For each year, the recipients are, in most instances, listed in the order in which they appear on the official Israel Prize ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aloni, Shulamit
1928 births
2014 deaths
20th-century Israeli lawyers
20th-century Israeli military personnel
20th-century Israeli women politicians
Alignment (Israel) politicians
Asian democratic socialists
Hashomer Hatzair members
Israel Prize for lifetime achievement & special contribution to society recipients
Israel Prize women recipients
Israeli activists
Israeli female military personnel
Israeli Jews
Israeli Labor Party politicians
Israeli people of Polish-Jewish descent
Israeli prisoners of war
Israeli schoolteachers
Israeli women activists
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Jewish Israeli politicians
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Leaders of the Opposition (Israel)
Members of the 6th Knesset (1965–1969)
Members of the 8th Knesset (1974–1977)
Members of the 9th Knesset (1977–1981)
Members of the 10th Knesset (1981–1984)
Members of the 11th Knesset (1984–1988)
Members of the 12th Knesset (1988–1992)
Members of the 13th Knesset (1992–1996)
Meretz leaders
Ministers of Communications of Israel
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Ministers of Education of Israel
Palmach members
Politicians from Tel Aviv
Ratz (political party) politicians
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