Tzvia Greenfeld
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Tzvia Greenfield ( he, צביה גרינפילד, born 27 October 1945) is an Israeli politician and a former
Member of the Knesset Lists of Knesset members cover members of the Knesset of Israel. They are organized by session, by ethnicity and by position. By session * List of members of the first Knesset (1949–51) * List of members of the second Knesset (1951–55) * Lis ...
for
Meretz Meretz ( he, מֶרֶצ, ) is a left-wing political party in Israel. The party was formed in 1992 by the merger of Ratz, Mapam and Shinui, and was at its peak between 1992 and 1996 when it had 12 seats. It currently has no seats in the Knesset ...
. She was the first ex Haredi woman to be an MK.


Biography

Greenfield was born in
Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
in 1945. She grew up in a Haredi family and attended Bais Yaakov schools. She earned an M.A. in philosophy and history at
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 ...
, and later a Ph.D. in political philosophy. She became politically active in the early 1990s. In 1993, she established the Mifneh pivot point"Institute to promote peace, tolerance, and democracy in Orthodox society. She was one of the founders of Orthodox Women for the Sanctity of Life, which opposed the Israeli occupation of South Lebanon. Greenfield is a member of the Board of Directors of
B'tselem B'Tselem ( he, בצלם, , " in the image of od) is a Jerusalem-based non-profit organization whose stated goals are to document human rights violations in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, combat any denial of the existence of su ...
and was among the signatories of the Geneva accords. She wrote the book ''They Are Afraid': How the Orthodox and Ultra-Orthodox Became the Leading Force in Israel''. She lives in Har Nof, and her five children attend Orthodox Zionist schools. In 2006, Greenfield decided to pursue a parliamentary career. She was on the
Meretz Meretz ( he, מֶרֶצ, ) is a left-wing political party in Israel. The party was formed in 1992 by the merger of Ratz, Mapam and Shinui, and was at its peak between 1992 and 1996 when it had 12 seats. It currently has no seats in the Knesset ...
list for the
17th Knesset The following is a list of the members of the seventeenth Knesset, elected on 28 March 2006 and inaugurated 4 May 2006, and their replacements. Knesset members 1 This title, in Hebrew ממלא מקום ראש הממשלה (''Memale Mekom Rosh ...
and was ranked sixth in an internal vote by 700 of Meretz's 1,000 central committee members, after Chair
Yossi Beilin Yosef "Yossi" Beilin ( he, יוסף "יוסי" ביילין, born 12 June 1948) is an Israeli politician who has served in multiple ministerial and leadership positions in the Israeli government. Much of his political career was in the Labour Pa ...
, Ran Cohen,
Avshalom Vilan Avshalom Vilan ( he, אבשלום וילן, born 11 February 1951) is an Israeli politician and economist. He served as a Knesset member for Meretz between 1999 and 2009. Biography Avshalom Vilan was born on Kibbutz Negba. He served in the I ...
,
Zehava Gal-On Zehava Gal-On ( he, זֶהָבָה גַּלְאוֹן; born 4 January 1956) is an Israeli politician, serving as a member of the Knesset from 1999 to 2017. She was the chairwoman of the Meretz political party from 2012 to 2018 and again since 2 ...
, and
Haim Oron Haim "Jumes" Oron ( he, חיים "ג'ומס" אורון; born 26 March 1940) is an Israeli politician and former Minister of Agriculture. He was head of the political party Meretz, for whom he served as a member of the Knesset. Biography Oron ...
. Meretz received five seats. On 4 November 2008, Greenfield replaced Beilin, who retired from politics, and became the first Haredi woman sworn into the Knesset. Prior to the
2009 elections The following elections occurred in the year 2009. * Electoral calendar 2009 * 2009 United Nations Security Council election Caribbean * 2009 Antiguan general election * 2009 Aruban general election * 2009 Caymanian constitutional referendu ...
, she again won sixth place on the Meretz list. However, she lost her seat in the February 2009 elections, as the party's representation was reduced to three seats. Greenfield opposes the
Israeli occupation Israeli-occupied territories are the lands that were captured and occupied by Israel during the Six-Day War of 1967. While the term is currently applied to the Palestinian territories and the Golan Heights, it has also been used to refer to a ...
of
Palestinian territories The Palestinian territories are the two regions of the former British Mandate for Palestine that have been militarily occupied by Israel since the Six-Day War of 1967, namely: the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip. The I ...
and supports a
two-state solution The two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict envisions an independent State of Palestine alongside the State of Israel, west of the Jordan River. The boundary between the two states is still subject to dispute and negotiation ...
to the
Israeli–Palestinian conflict The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is one of the world's most enduring conflicts, beginning in the mid-20th century. Various attempts have been made to resolve the conflict as part of the Israeli–Palestinian peace process, alongside other ef ...
along the
Green Line Green Line may refer to: Places Military and political * Green Line (France), the German occupation line in France during World War II * Green Line (Israel), the 1949 armistice line established between Israel and its neighbours ** City Line ( ...
with "minor adjustments". She describes herself as a social democrat and a supporter of a strong welfare state. She does not follow any rabbis, claiming that contemporary Israeli rabbis do not advance the interests of their followers. She also accused them of not preparing their followers for the Gazan disengagement plan. She remains Orthodox, rather than choosing
Reform Judaism Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its ethical aspects to its ceremonial ones, and belief in a continuous searc ...
or
Conservative Judaism Conservative Judaism, known as Masorti Judaism outside North America, is a Jewish religious movement which regards the authority of ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions as coming primarily from its people and community through the generatio ...
, because she believes in continuity, feels close to Jewish tradition and history, and is committed to observing Halacha. Greenfield considers herself an Orthodox woman with similar values to those of the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
and
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
, accepting
separation of church and state The separation of church and state is a philosophical and jurisprudential concept for defining political distance in the relationship between religious organizations and the state. Conceptually, the term refers to the creation of a secular sta ...
, which she believes is necessary in Israel as well in order to save Judaism. She supports gay rights and gay marriage. In her book, she accuses the Haredi sector of using child benefits as a source of income. She use elevators on
Shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; he, שַׁבָּת, Šabbāṯ, , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical storie ...
, and has a pet dog. She has stirred controversy among the Haredim, and Haredi journalist Kobi Arieli claimed that she is not truly Haredi because she has a dog, and that "real
Haredim Haredi Judaism ( he, ', ; also spelled ''Charedi'' in English; plural ''Haredim'' or ''Charedim'') consists of groups within Orthodox Judaism that are characterized by their strict adherence to ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions, in oppos ...
" hate Meretz.


Publications

*''They are afraid: how the religious and ultra-religious right became the leading factor in Israel'' (Yediot Aharanot/Tamar, 2001).


References


External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Greenfeld, Tzvia Haredi politicians Israeli Haredim Jewish women politicians Members of the 17th Knesset (2006–2009) Women members of the Knesset Israeli human rights activists Women human rights activists Meretz politicians Hebrew University of Jerusalem alumni Politicians from Jerusalem 1945 births Living people 21st-century Israeli women politicians Haredi feminists