Tamar Eshel (; 24 July 1920 – 24 July 2022) was an Israeli diplomat and politician.

Biography

She was born Tamar Finkelstein in London, while her parents were emissaries of the

Jewish Agency The Jewish Agency for Israel ( he, הסוכנות היהודית לארץ ישראל, translit=HaSochnut HaYehudit L'Eretz Yisra'el) formerly known as The Jewish Agency for Palestine, is the largest Jewish non-profit organization in the world. ...

in England. She returned with them 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 ...

in 1923. Her mother was a member of the well-known Feinberg and Belkind families, and a sister of

Avshalom Feinberg Avshalom Feinberg ( he, אבשלום פיינברג, 23 October 1889 – 20 January 1917) was one of the leaders of Nili, a Jewish spy network in Ottoman Palestine helping the British fight the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Feinberg was b ...

. Her father was among the first attorneys in the territory. Upon their return to Palestine, they settled in

Haifa Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...

, where Eshel graduated from the

Hebrew Reali School , motto_translation = ''Walk Humbly'' , address = Hertzel 16 , city = Haifa , zipcode = 3312103 , country = Israel , coordinates = , other_name ...

. She went on to study oriental studies at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

. While in London, she was active with the

Haganah Haganah ( he, הַהֲגָנָה, lit. ''The Defence'') was the main Zionist paramilitary organization of the Jewish population ("Yishuv") in Mandatory Palestine between 1920 and its disestablishment in 1948, when it became the core of the ...

, and in the 1940s, she headed its immigration office in France.

Diplomatic and political career

Following the establishment of Israel in 1948, she began working in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

for the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

. Eshel represented the ministry in its delegations to the United Nations, and held various positions on its behalf in the Prime Minister's Office. In 1968, towards her retirement from the ministry, she was given the title of Ambassador. In the 1970s, Eshel served as a member of Jerusalem City Council, and as deputy mayor to

Teddy Kollek Theodor "Teddy" Kollek ( he, טדי קולק; 27 May 1911 – 2 January 2007) was an Israeli politician who served as the mayor of Jerusalem from 1965 to 1993, and founder of the Jerusalem Foundation. Kollek was re-elected five times, in 1969, 197 ...

. She was also head of the

Na'amat Na'amat ( he, נעמת) is an Israeli and international women's organization affiliated with the Labour Zionist Movement. Na'amat was founded in 1921. Etymology Na'amat is an acronym for ''Nashim Ovdot U'Mitnadvot'' ( he, נשים עובדות ...

women's organization, until her election to 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 ...

on 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 ...

list in

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...

. She retained her seat in the 1981 elections, and remained in office until the 1984 elections.

Personal life

Eshel died on 24 July 2022, her 102nd birthday.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Eshel, Tamar 1920 births 2022 deaths British emigrants to Israel British people of Israeli descent Jews from Mandatory Palestine Hebrew Reali School alumni Alumni of the University of London Haganah members Women members of the Knesset Alignment (Israel) politicians Members of the 9th Knesset (1977–1981) Members of the 10th Knesset (1981–1984) Deputy Mayors of Jerusalem 20th-century Israeli women politicians Israeli women diplomats Ambassadors of Israel Israeli centenarians Women centenarians Israeli women ambassadors Mandatory Palestine expatriates in the United Kingdom Politicians from London Burials at Har HaMenuchot Jewish centenarians Immigrants of the Third Aliyah