Yeruham Zeisel (1909 – May 26, 1987) was the mayor of
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 ...
from 1975 to 1978.
Yeruham Zeisel was born in 1909 in
Tarnov,
Galicia, (then
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 ...
, today
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
). Zeisel was raised in a
Zionist
Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after '' Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...
home, and already in his youth was a member of
Hashomer Hatzair and a counselor for a group of youths in the "Pioneer" movement. In 1932 he made
Aliyah and joined
kibbutz Ein HaMifratz. He also worked as a porter in the
Post of Haifa, and worked in the digging of fish pools in the area of the swamps of the Ne'eman Valley.
In 1933, Zeisel moved to
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 ...
, and began work as an electrician for the
Israel Electric Corporation
Israel Electric Corporation ( he, חברת החשמל לישראל, abbreviation: IEC) is the largest supplier of electrical power in Israel and the Palestinian territories. The IEC builds, maintains, and operates power generation stations, sub- ...
. Zeisel was a member of the
Haganah, and served as the metalworkers secretary. In 1936, he moved to
Kiryat Chaim.
Zeisel was elected to the Haifa city council in 1961, and eight years later, in 1969, he was elected to the position of vice-mayor. Due to the illness of then-mayor
Moshe Flimann, Zeisel was appointed substitute mayor. With Flimann's subsequent death, Zeisel remained in office, and served in that capacity until the election of
Yosef Almogi
Yosef Aharon Almogi ( he, יוסף אהרון אלמוגי, May 5, 1910 – November 2, 1991) was an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset between 1955 and 1977, as well as holding several ministerial posts.
Biography
Born Jo ...
in 1974. Almog's term didn't last long: in 1975 he was chosen to be the chairman 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. ...
and the
Histadrut. It was then that Zeisel was elected as mayor of Haifa, and he served until 1978. During his time in office, construction of the promenade in
Bat Galim began.
In 1979, Zeisel was chosen to serve as the head of the secondary council of Kiriyat Chaim; he held that post until the day he died.
See also
*Sarah and Meir Aharoni, ''The people and the events of Haifa and the surrounding area'', 1993
{{authority control
1909 births
1987 deaths
Politicians from Tarnów
20th-century Polish Jews
Deputy Mayors of Haifa
Israeli electricians
Politicians from the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria
Austro-Hungarian Jews
Jews from Galicia (Eastern Europe)
Jewish Israeli politicians
Mayors of Haifa
Polish emigrants to Mandatory Palestine
Hashomer Hatzair members