Mordechai Ben-Porat

Mordechai Ben-Porat (Hebrew: מרדכי בן-פורת Arabic: مردخاي بن بورات; 12 September 1923 – 3 January 2022) was an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset in two spells between 1965 until 1984, and as Minister without Portfolio from July 1982 until January 1984. During his four terms in the Knesset, he represented five different parties.

Mordechai Ben-Porat
Ben-Porat in 2006
Ministerial roles
1982–1984Minister without Portfolio
Faction represented in the Knesset
1965–1968Rafi
1968–1969Labor Party
1969–1977Alignment
1981–1983Telem
1983–1984Movement for the Renewal of Social Zionism
Personal details
Born12 September 1923
Baghdad, Iraq
Died3 January 2022(2022-01-03) (aged 98)

Biography

Born Murad Murad (Arabic: مراد مراد) in Baghdad in Iraq to a Jewish family,[1][2] Ben-Porat was the oldest of eleven children of Regina and Nessim Yehezkel Murad; when he reached school age, his father changed the family name to Kazzazz (meaning "silk trader," which was the profession of Ben-Porat's grandfather).[1]

Ben-Porat immigrated to Mandatory Palestine in 1945.[3] He joined the Haganah in 1947 and fought in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.[3] He helped organise the mass immigration of Iraqi Jews between 1949 and 1951, during which he was arrested four times by the Iraqi authorities.[4] He later studied political science at the Tel Aviv adjunct of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and administration at Tel Aviv University.[5]

A member of Mapai, in 1955 he became head of Or Yehuda's local council, a post he held until 1969.[6] When David Ben-Gurion left Mapai to found Rafi, Porat followed him. In 1965 he was elected to the Knesset on Rafi's list. During the Knesset term the party merged into the Labor Party, which then became part of the Alignment. He was re-elected on the Alignment list in 1969 and between 1970 and 1972 served as the Labor Party's deputy secretary.

He was re-elected again in 1973, but on 15 March 1977 left the party to sit as an independent MK.[7] He subsequently lost his seat in the May 1977 elections. In 1979 he was involved with the Jewish Agency's efforts to help Jews leave Iran.

In 1981 he joined the new Telem party, and was elected to the Knesset on its list in the elections that year. In July 1982 he was appointed Minister without Portfolio. On 6 June 1983, Telem split and Ben-Porat established the Movement for the Renewal of Social Zionism. He remained in the cabinet until 31 January 1984, and lost his seat in the elections that year. He joined Likud in 1988.

Ben-Porat died on 3 January 2022, at the age of 98.[8] His daughter, Idit married the Israeli entrepreneur, author, illustrator, and footballer Isaak Hayik.

Awards

In 2001 Ben-Porat was awarded the Israel Prize for his lifetime achievements and special contribution to society and the State of Israel,[9] in particular for his role in rescuing the Jews of Iraq.[10][11]

See also

References
  1. Ben Porat, Mordechai (2008). "Mordechai Ben Porat." In Tamar Morad, Dennis Shasha, and Robert Shasha (Eds.) Iraq's Last Jews: Stories of Daily Life, Upheaval, and Escape from Modern Babylon (pp. 134-150). Based on an oral history interview. New York: Palgrave MacMillan. p. 134.
  2. "A Story of Successful Absorption : Aliyah from Iraq". World Zionist Organisation. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  3. Tsimhoni, Daphne (3 September 2014). "Ben-Porat, Mordechai". Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World. Brill. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  4. "Mordechai Ben Porat". Sephardi Voices. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  5. Zamkanei, Shayna (2016). "The Politics of Defining Jews from Arab Countries". Israel Studies. 21 (2): 1–26. doi:10.2979/israelstudies.21.2.01. JSTOR 10.2979/israelstudies.21.2.01. S2CID 147394054. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  6. Bender/Maariv, Arik (3 January 2022). "Former MK Mordechai Ben-Porat passes away at 98". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  7. Mergers and Splits Among Parliamentary Groups Knesset website
  8. "מרדכי בן פורת, מפקד מבצע החילוץ של יהודי עיראק, הלך לעולמו". ערוץ 7 (in Hebrew). 3 January 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  9. "Israel Prize Official Site (in Hebrew) – Recipient's C.V."
  10. "Israel Prize Official Site (in Hebrew) – Judges' Rationale for Grant to Recipient".
  11. Shamir, Eban, Ben-Porat Garner Israel Prize The Jewish Week, May 2001
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