Yohanan Cohen ( he, יוחנן כהן, 31 December 1917– May 20, 2013)https://www.knesset.gov.il/mk/eng/mk_eng.asp?mk_individual_id_t=447 was an Israeli politician and diplomat.

Biography

Born in

Łódź Łódź, also rendered in English as Lodz, is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located approximately south-west of Warsaw. The city's coat of arms is an example of canti ...

(then part of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

, though occupied by

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

at the time), Cohen attended high school in

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 populous ...

before and was active in the HaNoar Hatzioni group, before

immigrating Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...

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 1937. He joined the

Hagana 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 ...

in 1938, and served as a member of the Jewish Settlement police between 1941 and 1944. During the

1948 Arab-Israeli War Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...

he served as a captain in the 19th

Golani Brigade The 1st "Golani" Brigade ( he, חֲטִיבַת גּוֹלָנִי) is an Israeli military infantry brigade that is subordinated to the 36th Division and traditionally associated with the Northern Command. It is one of the five infantry brigade ...

, and later served as a lieutenant colonel in the reserves. Following Israeli independence, Cohen became a member 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 ...

's organising committee, and was also a director of the secretariat of the World Zionist Youth group between 1952 and 1954. A member of the

Progressive Party Progressive Party may refer to: Active parties * Progressive Party, Brazil * Progressive Party (Chile) * Progressive Party of Working People, Cyprus * Dominica Progressive Party * Progressive Party (Iceland) * Progressive Party (Sardinia), Italy ...

, he was a member of the party's directorate and political committee. Whilst he was never elected 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 ...

, he served for two years between 1957 and 1959 as a replacement for Yeshayahu Forder. He began working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1960, initially in the information department. In 1963 he was sent to

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

where he served as Consulate General. In 1968 he returned to Israel to become Director of the information department, and in 1970 became director of the Eastern Europe department. In 1973 Cohen was appointed ambassador to

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

, moving to the same position in

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

in 1976. He returned to Israel in 1979, and in 1980 became Director of the History Department, a position he held until 1983.

Bibliography

* * ''The Key is in the Hands of the Arabs'' (1962) * ''The Growth of the Zionist Movement'' (1976) * ''The Testing of Nations'' (1985) *"OVRIM KOL GEVUL: "HA-BERIHAH", POLIN 1945-1946". Tel-Aviv: Zemorah-Bitan/Masuah. 1995. 484 pages.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cohen, Yohanan 1917 births 2013 deaths Polish emigrants to Mandatory Palestine Ambassadors of Israel to Finland Ambassadors of Israel to Romania Diplomats from Łódź Progressive Party (Israel) politicians Members of the 3rd Knesset (1955–1959) Israeli consuls