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The archival collection of former Speaker of Knesset, Israel Yeshayahu, of blessed memory
Israel Yeshayahu was a leader, a scholar and a true parliamentarian. In addition to his political activity, he was an intellectual who wrote, extensively, about issues such as: Society, State, The Jewish People, The Labor Movement and, naturally, about Aliyah from Yemen and the Gathering of Exiles in Israel. As a staunch Zionist, his faith in Israel - the Jewish state was the guiding line for all his public activities before the establishment of The State, after its establishment and until his very last day. Israel Yeshayahu belongs to the generation of Founding Fathers of The State in which he served in many influential positions. Soon after his Aliyah to Israel he engaged in politics, initially by obtaining intelligence information regarding the situation of the Jews who were left in Yemen under the regime of the Moslem Imam in order to pave the way for bringing them to Israel at the appropriate time. Eventually, he was the one who led the organizers of that Aliyah operation. Once they arrived in Israel in the “Magic Carpet” Operation, immediately after the establishment of The State, he took care of their every need and worked towards their integration into the Israeli Society of that time. In his cultural worldview, Israel Yeshayahu regarded Jewish Heritage as a huge mosaic of cultures into which each ethnic group inculcates its cultural uniqueness and adds it to that social togetherness of The State of Israel where a true melting pot was being created. Israel Yeshayahu’s spiritual assets, which can be found today in archives in the State of Israel and which are presently being transferred to universities all over the country, are of paramount historical value. His writings serve as research materials pertaining to the formation of The State as well as a thorough observation of various social profiles with the complexities they entail including a foreseeable solution. (Enclosed is a copy of an article by Dr. Wolfensohn who writes extensively about these subjects). In spite of the fact that these are archival documents, one should note that most of them shed light, even today, on topical issues in present day Israel.
The discs include most of the documents in the Israel Yeshayahu Archive (from the Thirties to the late Seventies) and deal with the following subjects: Yemenite Jewry – Social and Intelligence activity in Yemen, before and after the establishment of the State of Israel Mission to Aden Jews from Ethiopia Jews from Arab Lands – The Sephardi Jews in Israel Gathering of the Exiles Social Gaps The Labor Party Israeli Arabs State and Religion The Beth Midrash for Rabbis in the United States Elections to The Rabbinate and for Heads of Councils Correspondence with dignitaries and public figures Work methods in The Knesset and in Foreign Parliaments Modification of System of Elections to The Knesset Protocols Speeches in The Knesset and in various events Press releases Articles Reports in “Hapoel Hatzair” Participation in various Congresses Documents pertaining to his capacities as: Member of Knesset, Secretary-General of the Party, member and head of various committees in the Knesset, Postal Minister, and Speaker of The Knesset Missions abroad Hosting guests from abroad In Memoriam (of M.I.A s) 50th Jubilee for Israel Yeshayahu Letters and notes – correspondence with leaders and Heads of State in Israel The connection with David Ben – Gurion Evaluation Committee of J.N.F (Jewish National Fund) Investigation Committee in immigrant camps The AGRANAT Commission Draft of first Government yearbook State Council His literary works Words of appreciation for his personality and deeds Disc # 7 serves as instructions for checking the former six Disc # 8 is a synopsis of the landmarks in his life and in the life of his wife Rina
The entire original archival material is in Hebrew!
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© Copyright 2007, all rights reserved to the Yeshayahu family |