ZorachSigned, Sealed, Delivered? Zorach Warhaftig
''Israel Story'' podcast with ''

The Times of Israel ''The Times of Israel'' is an Israeli multi-language online newspaper that was launched in 2012. It was co-founded by Israeli journalist David Horovitz, who is also the founding editor, and American billionaire investor Seth Klarman.

'', 4 Apr 2023, accessed 6 Apr 2023. or Zorah Wahrhaftig ( yi, ), also known as Zerach Warhaftig (; 2 February 1906 - 26 September 2002), was an Israeli rabbi, lawyer, and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

. He was a signatory of

Israel's Declaration of Independence The Israeli Declaration of Independence, formally the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel ( he, הכרזה על הקמת מדינת ישראל), was proclaimed on 14 May 1948 ( 5 Iyar 5708) by David Ben-Gurion, the Executive ...

Early life and education

Zorach Warhaftig was born in

Volkovysk Vawkavysk ( be, Ваўкавы́ск, ; russian: Волковы́ск; pl, Wołkowysk; lt, Valkaviskas; yi, וואלקאוויסק; names in other languages) is one of the oldest towns in southwestern Belarus and the capital of the Vawkavysk ...

, in 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. ...

(today

Vawkavysk Vawkavysk ( be, Ваўкавы́ск, ; russian: Волковы́ск; pl, Wołkowysk; lt, Valkaviskas; yi, וואלקאוויסק; Names of European cities in different languages: U-Z#V, names in other languages) is one of the oldest towns in ...

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...

) in 1906. His parents were Yerucham Warhaftig and Rivka Fainstein. He studied law at the

University of Warsaw The University of Warsaw ( pl, Uniwersytet Warszawski, la, Universitas Varsoviensis) is a public university in Warsaw, Poland. Established in 1816, it is the largest institution of higher learning in the country offering 37 different fields of ...

, and later became a

Doctor of Law A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor (LL ...

from the

Hebrew University The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...

Second World War

At the start of World War II, Nathan Gutwirth and Rabbi Warhaftig were among those who convinced the Japanese Vice-Consul in

Kaunas Kaunas (; ; also see other names) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the largest city and the centre of a county in the Duchy of Trakai ...

, Lithuania,

Chiune Sugihara was a Japanese diplomat who served as vice-consul for the Japanese Empire in Kaunas, Lithuania. During the Second World War, Sugihara helped thousands of Jews flee Europe by issuing transit visas to them so that they could travel through Japan ...

, to issue transit visas for the entire Mir Yeshiva. Warhaftig and most students of the Mir Yeshiva received a "Curaçao visa" from the Dutch consul

Jan Zwartendijk Jan Zwartendijk (29 July 1896 – 14 September 1976) was a Dutch businessman and diplomat. As director of the Philips factories in Lithuania and part-time acting consul of the Dutch government-in-exile, he supervised the writing of 2,345 visas f ...

to Lithuania, which may have been authorized by Dutch ambassador L. P. J. de Decker in Riga, Latvia. It was de Decker who altered the official "visa" wording for a few Jews, omitting in the text the need for the Curaçao governor approving entry. The "visa" gave Warhaftig, the students and some others like Nathan Gutwirth an official travel destination which allowed Sugihara to issue Japanese transit visas. By so doing, De Decker, Zwartendijk and Sugihara saved thousands of lives and families from the Nazis who had occupied first Poland and then Lithuania. In 1940 Warhaftig and his family travelled east from Lithuania to Japan. On 5 June 1941 the Warhaftigs left

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on the Japanese ocean liner ''

Hikawa Maru is a Japanese ocean liner that Yokohama Dock Company built for '' Nippon Yūsen Kabushiki Kaisha'' ("NYK Line"). She was launched on 30 September 1929 and made her maiden voyage from Kobe to Seattle on 13 May 1930. She is permanently berthed as ...

'' and on 17 June they landed at

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. He described the trip as "a summer vacation and with the war seeming to be so far away" although, he said, "I didn't have a peaceful mind because of the strong responsibility I had to help the Jewish refugees with the troubles they faced."

Palestine (1947) and Israel

In 1947, Warhaftig

immigrated 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 ...

. Initially he joined the

Hapoel HaMizrachi Hapoel HaMizrachi ( he, הַפּוֹעֵל הַמִּזְרָחִי, lit. '' Mizrachi Workers'') was a political party and settlement movement in Israel. It was one of the predecessors of the National Religious Party and the Jewish Home. History ...

party, a religious-zionist party, and in 1949 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 ...

as part of the

United Religious Front The United Religious Front (, ''Hazit Datit Meuhedet'') was a political alliance of the four major religious parties in Israel, as well as the Union of Religious Independents, formed to fight in the 1949 elections. History The idea of a united re ...

, an alliance between Mizrachi, Hapoel HaMizrachi,

Agudat Yisrael Agudat Yisrael ( he, אֲגוּדָּת יִשְׂרָאֵל, lit., ''Union of Israel'', also transliterated ''Agudath Israel'', or, in Yiddish, ''Agudas Yisroel'') is a Haredi Jewish political party in Israel. It began as a political party re ...

and

Poalei Agudat Yisrael Poalei Agudat Yisrael ( he, פועלי אגודת ישראל, , Agudat Yisrael Workers) was a trade union and Jewish political party in Poland and a minor political party in Israel. It was also known as PAI or PAGI, its Hebrew acronym (Hebrew: o ...

. In 1948-1963 he taught Jewish Law at the

Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...

. The party contended in the 1951 elections alone. Although it won only two seats, it was included in

David Ben-Gurion David Ben-Gurion ( ; he, דָּוִד בֶּן-גּוּרִיּוֹן ; born David Grün; 16 October 1886 – 1 December 1973) was the primary national founder of the State of Israel and the first prime minister of Israel. Adopting the name ...

's coalition, and Warhaftig was appointed Deputy Minister of Religions in the fourth government. In 1956, Hapoel HaMizrachi and Mizrachi merged to form the

National Religious Party The National Religious Party ( he, מִפְלָגָה דָּתִית לְאֻומִּית, ''Miflaga Datit Leumit'', commonly known in Israel by its Hebrew acronym Mafdal, ) was a political party in Israel representing the religious Zionist moveme ...

. Warhaftig led the party and retained his ministerial role until the end of the

third Knesset Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (disambiguation) * Third Avenue (disambiguation) * Hig ...

. After the 1961 elections (the fifth Knesset) he was appointed Minister of Religions, a position he held until 1974. In 1981 he retired from the Knesset. In 1970, he was elected chairman of the curatorium of

Bar-Ilan University Bar-Ilan University (BIU, he, אוניברסיטת בר-אילן, ''Universitat Bar-Ilan'') is a public research university in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel. Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is Israel's second-largest academic i ...

. Warhaftig's arguably most important contribution to the Israeli state's character was his part in authoring the

Law of Return The Law of Return ( he, חֹוק הַשְׁבוּת, ''ḥok ha-shvūt'') is an Israeli law, passed on 5 July 1950, which gives Jews, people with one or more Jewish grandparent, and their spouses the right to relocate to Israel and acquire Isra ...

, who defines, from the State's legal point of view (as opposed to the religious one),

who is a Jew "Who is a Jew?" ( he, מיהו יהודי ) is a basic question about Jewish identity and considerations of Jewish self-identification. The question pertains to ideas about Jewish personhood, which have cultural, ethnic, religious, political ...

Awards and recognition

*In 1983 Warhaftig was awarded 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 his special contribution to society and the State of Israel in the advancement of Hebrew law. *In 1989 he received the

Yakir Yerushalayim Yakir Yerushalayim ( he, יַקִּיר יְרוּשָׁלַיִם; en, Worthy Citizen of Jerusalem) is an annual citizenship prize in Jerusalem, inaugurated in 1967. The prize is awarded annually by the municipality of the City of Jerusalem to o ...

(Worthy Citizen of Jerusalem) award from the 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 ...

. City of Jerusalem official website The Dr. Zerah Warhaftig Institute for Research on Religious Zionism at Bar Ilan University is named for him.Zerah Warhaftig Institute for Research on Religious Zionism

References

Published works

*“A Constitution for Israel” an article in ''Yavne Compilation: Political Problems in Israel'' pgs 17-21, (Hebrew, April 1949) *“On Rabbinical Judgments in Israel” (collected speeches) (Hebrew, 1956) *“Legal Issues in the Talmud” (from lectures) (Hebrew, 1957) *Editor with Shlomo Zeven: “Remembrance: a Torah Collection in Memory of Rabbi Yizhak HaLevi Herzog” (Hebrew, 1962) *“Chattel in Jewish Law” (Hebrew, 1964) *“Problems of State and Religion” (articles and speeches) (Hebrew, 1973) *Edited: “Religion and State in Legislation: A Collection of Laws and Rulings” (Hebrew, 1973) *“The Declaration of Independence and Orders for the Order of Government and the Judiciary (1948 and Problems of Religion and State)” in ''The Book of Shragai'' (Hebrew, 1982) *“Refugee and Remnant during the Holocaust” (Hebrew, 1984) *“Researches in Jewish Law” (Hebrew, 1985) *“A Constitution for Israel – Religion and State” (Hebrew, 1988) *

External links

*
Credo-type article
based on an intetview. At ''Azure - Ideas for the Jewish Nation'' 1999, No. 6. Accessed 6 April 2023
Obituary
by

Lawrence Joffe Lawrence may refer to: Education Colleges and universities * Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States * Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States Preparato ...

for

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, 8 Oct 2002. Accessed 6 April 2023 {{DEFAULTSORT:Warhaftig, Zerach 1906 births 2002 deaths 20th-century Israeli lawyers 20th-century Israeli non-fiction writers 20th-century Polish lawyers Deputy ministers of Israel Government ministers of Israel Ministers of Religious affairs of Israel Hapoel HaMizrachi politicians Hebrew University of Jerusalem Faculty of Law alumni Israel Prize for special contribution to society and the State recipients Israel Prize Rabbi recipients Israeli Ashkenazi Jews Israeli male writers Israeli Orthodox rabbis Jewish Israeli politicians Jewish National Council members Jews from the Russian Empire Lithuanian emigrants to Mandatory Palestine Members of the 1st Knesset (1949–1951) Members of the 2nd Knesset (1951–1955) Members of the 3rd Knesset (1955–1959) Members of the 4th Knesset (1959–1961) Members of the 5th Knesset (1961–1965) Members of the 6th Knesset (1965–1969) Members of the 7th Knesset (1969–1974) Members of the 8th Knesset (1974–1977) Members of the 9th Knesset (1977–1981) National Religious Party politicians People from Vawkavysk Polish emigrants to Mandatory Palestine Rabbinic members of the Knesset Signatories of the Israeli Declaration of Independence Sugihara's Jews United Religious Front politicians University of Warsaw alumni