Yosef Sprinzak ( he, יוֹסֵף שְׁפְּרִינְצָק;
8 December 1885 – 28 January 1959) was a leading
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 ...
activist in the first half of the 20th century, an
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 ...
i politician, and the first
Speaker of the Knesset
The Speaker of the Knesset ( he, יוֹשֵׁב רֹאשׁ הכנסת, Yoshev Rosh HaKnesset, Chairman of the Knesset) is the presiding officer of the Knesset, the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Israel. The Speaker also acts as Presiden ...
, a role he held from 1949 until his death in 1959.
Biography
Yosef Sprinzak was born in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
but following the expulsion of Jews in 1891 moved with his family to
Kishinev where he was a founder of the
Tze'irei Zion
Tze'irei Zion ( he, צעירי ציון, "Youth of Zion", sometimes spelled as Zeire Zion) was a socialist Zionist youth movement in Eastern Europe in the first half of the 20th century that branched into Palestine. The movement originated at the ...
(Zion Youth). He began medical school at the
American University in Beirut
The American University of Beirut (AUB) ( ar, الجامعة الأميركية في بيروت) is a private, non-sectarian, and independent university chartered in New York with its campus in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB is governed by a private, au ...
in 1908 and settled in
Palestine
__NOTOC__
Palestine may refer to:
* State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia
* Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia
* Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...
in 1910, during the
Second Aliyah
The Second Aliyah ( he, העלייה השנייה, ''HaAliyah HaShniya'') was an aliyah (Jewish emigration to Palestine) that took place between 1904 and 1914, during which approximately 35,000 Jews immigrated into Ottoman-ruled Palestine, most ...
(1904–1914).
Along with
Eliezer Kaplan
Eliezer Kaplan ( he, אליעזר קפלן; be, Эліэзер Каплан; ) was a Zionist activist, Israeli politician, one of the signatories of the Israeli declaration of independence and the country's first Minister of Finance and Deputy ...
Sprinzak headed ''
Hapoel Hatzair
Hapoel Hatzair ( he, הפועל הצעיר, "The Young Worker") was a Zionist group active in Palestine from 1905 until 1930. It was founded by A.D. Gordon, Yosef Aharonovich, Yosef Sprinzak and followed a non-Marxist, Zionist, socialist agenda ...
'' ("The Young Worker") a Zionist socialist faction formed in 1905 and one of the organisations that consolidated to form
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 1930. Its members were pro-British and supported
Chaim Weizmann
Chaim Azriel Weizmann ( he, חיים עזריאל ויצמן ', russian: Хаим Евзорович Вейцман, ''Khaim Evzorovich Veytsman''; 27 November 1874 – 9 November 1952) was a Russian-born biochemist, Zionist leader and Israel ...
. He was a founder 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 ...
in 1920 and acted as secretary general of the organisation from 1945 to 1949.
His son
Yair Sprinzak
Professor Yair Sprinzak ( he, יאיר שפרינצק, 8 November 1911 – 6 September 1999) was an Israeli scientist and politician who served as a Knesset for Moledet between 1988 and 1992.
Biography
Born in Tel Aviv during the Ottoman era, S ...
also served in the Knesset. Another son, Aharon David Sprinzak, an
Israeli Air Force
The Israeli Air Force (IAF; he, זְרוֹעַ הָאֲוִיר וְהֶחָלָל, Zroa HaAvir VeHahalal, tl, "Air and Space Arm", commonly known as , ''Kheil HaAvir'', "Air Corps") operates as the aerial warfare branch of the Israel Defense ...
pilot, was killed in action 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 ...
. His grandson, Ehud Sprinzak (1940-2002) was one of Israel's foremost experts on counterterrorism and far-right Jewish groups.
Political career
Sprinzak was elected to the position of speaker of the provisional parliament on 15 July 1948,
[Goldberg, 2003, p. 32.] a role in which he helped lay the foundations of Israel's parliamentarism.
[Sofer, 1998, p. 115.] He was elected to the
first Knesset
Constituent Assembly elections were held in newly independent Israel on 25 January 1949. Voter turnout was 86.9%. Two days after its first meeting on 14 February 1949, legislators voted to change the name of the body to the Knesset (Hebrew: כ ...
in 1949 as a member of
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 ...
, and became the Speaker of the new body. He was re-elected and remained speaker in both the
second
The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ...
and
third Knessets.
As part of his role as speaker, Sprinzak became acting
President of Israel
The president of the State of Israel ( he, נְשִׂיא מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, Nesi Medinat Yisra'el, or he, נְשִׂיא הַמְדִינָה, Nesi HaMedina, President of the State) is the head of state of Israel. The posi ...
when
Chaim Weizmann
Chaim Azriel Weizmann ( he, חיים עזריאל ויצמן ', russian: Хаим Евзорович Вейцман, ''Khaim Evzorovich Veytsman''; 27 November 1874 – 9 November 1952) was a Russian-born biochemist, Zionist leader and Israel ...
fell ill from 12 December 1951. After Weizmann's death on 9 November 1952 Sprinzak served as interim President until inauguration of
Yitzhak Ben-Zvi
Yitzhak Ben-Zvi ( he, יִצְחָק בֶּן־צְבִי ''Yitshak Ben-Tsvi''; 24 November 188423 April 1963) was a historian, Labor Zionism, Labor Zionist leader and the longest-serving President of Israel.
Biography
Born in Poltava in the ...
on 10 December 1952.
Gallery
File:Zionist General Council, Jerusalem 1935.jpg, Yitzhak Ben-Zvi
Yitzhak Ben-Zvi ( he, יִצְחָק בֶּן־צְבִי ''Yitshak Ben-Tsvi''; 24 November 188423 April 1963) was a historian, Labor Zionism, Labor Zionist leader and the longest-serving President of Israel.
Biography
Born in Poltava in the ...
, Chairman of the National Committee, addresses the Zionist General Council
Zionist General Council (ZGC) ( he, הוועד הפועל הציוני) (HaVa'ad HaPoel HaTzioni) is the supreme institution of the Zionist movement.
The ZGC was established in 1921 following a decision reached at the 11th World Zionist Congres ...
Meeting in Jerusalem. From right to left: I. Rupaisen, Ben-Zion Mossinson, H. Farbstein, Nahum Sokolow
Nahum ben Joseph Samuel Sokolow ( he, נחום ט' סוקולוב ''Nachum ben Yosef Shmuel Soqolov'', yi, סאָקאָלאָוו; ) was a Zionist leader, author, translator, and a pioneer of Hebrew journalism.
Biography
Nahum Sokolow was born ...
, Yitzhak Ben-Zvi, Yosef Sprinzak, I. L. Goldberg, Shmaryahu Levin
Shmaryahu Levin (russian: Шмарьяху Левин; born 1867 in Svislach, Minsk Governorate; died 9 June 1935, Haifa), was a Jewish Zionist activist. He was a member of the first elected Russian Parliament for the Constitutional Democratic ...
, Eliezer Kaplan
Eliezer Kaplan ( he, אליעזר קפלן; be, Эліэзер Каплан; ) was a Zionist activist, Israeli politician, one of the signatories of the Israeli declaration of independence and the country's first Minister of Finance and Deputy ...
(1935)
File:Wwwm1027.jpg, L-R: W. G. Hall, Moshe Rosetti, Yosef Sprinzak, Alexander Knox Helm
Sir Alexander Knox Helm (23 March 1893 – 7 March 1964) was a British diplomat who served as ambassador to Turkey and was the last Governor-General of the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Sudan.
Early years
Born to W. H. Helm of Dumfries, Alexander ...
, Leslie Hore-Belisha
Leslie Hore-Belisha, 1st Baron Hore-Belisha, PC (; 7 September 1893 – 16 February 1957) was a British Liberal, then National Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) and Cabinet Minister. He later joined the Conservative Party. He proved highly su ...
, and Moshe Sharett
Moshe Sharett ( he, משה שרת, born Moshe Chertok (Hebrew: ) 15 October 1894 – 7 July 1965) was a Russian-born Israeli politician who served as Israel's second prime minister from 1954 to 1955. A member of Mapai, Sharett's term was b ...
in 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 ...
, 1951
References
Bibliography
* Goldberg, Giora (2003). ''Ben-Gurion Against the Knesset''. London:
Routledge
Routledge () is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law, and ...
.
* Sofer, Sasson (1998). ''Zionism and the Foundations of Israeli Diplomacy''. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII of England, King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press
A university press is an academic publishing hou ...
.
External links
*
Jewish Virtual Library
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, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sprinzak, Yosef
1885 births
1959 deaths
Politicians from Moscow
Russian Jews
Zionist activists
Jewish socialists
Jews in Ottoman Palestine
General Secretaries of Histadrut
Leaders of political parties in Israel
Moldovan emigrants to Israel
Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the Ottoman Empire
Mapai politicians
Jews in Mandatory Palestine
Burials at Mount Herzl
Members of the Assembly of Representatives (Mandatory Palestine)
Members of the 1st Knesset (1949–1951)
Members of the 2nd Knesset (1951–1955)
Members of the 3rd Knesset (1955–1959)
Speakers of the Knesset