Ya'akov Jacques Amir ( he, יעקב ז'אק אמיר; 15 March 1933 – 31 March 2011) was an Israeli politician who served as a member of 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 (wit ...

for the

Alignment Alignment may refer to: Archaeology * Alignment (archaeology), a co-linear arrangement of features or structures with external landmarks * Stone alignment, a linear arrangement of upright, parallel megalithic standing stones Biology * Struc ...

between 1974 and 1988.

Biography

Born Jacques Amzalag in

Essaouira Essaouira ( ; ar, الصويرة, aṣ-Ṣawīra; shi, ⵜⴰⵚⵚⵓⵔⵜ, Taṣṣort, formerly ''Amegdul''), known until the 1960s as Mogador, is a port city in the western Moroccan region of Marakesh-Safi, on the Atlantic coast. It ha ...

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to A ...

, Amir was educated in a vocational high school in

Casablanca Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...

and was a member of the Pioneer youth movement. His father was Yitzhak-Chaim Amzalag. In 1952, he made

aliyah Aliyah (, ; he, עֲלִיָּה ''ʿălīyyā'', ) is the immigration of Jews from the diaspora to, historically, the geographical Land of Israel, which is in the modern era chiefly represented by the State of Israel. Traditionally descri ...

to Israel, where he joined kibbutz Ein Gev and the

Ahdut HaAvoda Ahdut HaAvoda ( he, אַחְדוּת הַעֲבוֹדָה, lit. ''Labour Unity'') was the name used by a series of political parties. Ahdut HaAvoda in its first incarnation was led by David Ben-Gurion. It was first established during the period ...

party. His first name, Jacques, was accidentally hebraized in Yaakov due to the error of an official at the Haifa port. The following year he moved to kibbutz Ginosar, where he lived until moving to Dimona in 1958. From 1959 until 1974, he worked at the Dead Sea Works, becoming senior foreman of the metal section, and first secretary and chairman of the workers council. He also served on Dimona Workers Council between 1959 and 1964 and as a member 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 ...

executive committee from 1965 until 1973. In 1965, he became deputy mayor of Dimona, serving until 1968, and again from 1973 until 1976. He won a place on the Alignment list (an alliance of the Labor Party (which Ahdut HaAvoda had merged into in 1968) and

Mapam Mapam ( he, מַפָּ״ם, an acronym for , ) was a left-wing political party in Israel. The party is one of the ancestors of the modern-day Meretz party. History Mapam was formed by a January 1948 merger of the kibbutz-based Hashomer Hatz ...

) for the 1973 Knesset elections, but failed to win a seat. However, he entered the Knesset on 10 June 1974 as a replacement for former Prime Minister

Golda Meir Golda Meir, ; ar, جولدا مائير, Jūldā Māʾīr., group=nb (born Golda Mabovitch; 3 May 1898 – 8 December 1978) was an Israeli politician, teacher, and '' kibbutznikit'' who served as the fourth prime minister of Israel from 1969 to ...

.Knesset Members in the Eighth Knesset
Knesset website He was re-elected in

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrat ...

, and the following year became mayor of Dimona, a post he held until 1984. He was re-elected to the Knesset again in 1981 and

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

, before losing his seat in the 1988 elections. Outside politics, Amir was also a member of the world presidium of the Sephardi Federation and in 1986 was appointed chairman of the Israeli Alcoholism Prevention Society.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Amir, Jacques 1933 births 2011 deaths Alignment (Israel) politicians Deputy mayors of places in Israel Israeli trade unionists Jewish Israeli politicians Members of the 8th Knesset (1974–1977) Members of the 9th Knesset (1977–1981) Members of the 10th Knesset (1981–1984) Members of the 11th Knesset (1984–1988) Moroccan emigrants to Israel 20th-century Moroccan Jews People from Essaouira Politicians from Dimona Mayors of places in Israel