Chaim Levanon (1899–1986; he, חיים לבנון) was a Polish-born

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

i politician and mayor of

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

between 13 April 1953 and 1959.

Personal life

Levanon was born in

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 159 ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...

, in 1899 as Chaim Yosef Levinstein. After graduating from a

yeshiva A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are stu ...

, he studied

agricultural engineering Agricultural engineering, also known as agricultural and biosystems engineering, is the field of study and application of engineering science and designs principles for agriculture purposes, combining the various disciplines of mechanical, civil ...

at the Jagiellonian University. 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 ...

in 1927 and taught at the Ehad HaAm gymnasium in

Petah Tikva Petah Tikva ( he, פֶּתַח תִּקְוָה, , ), also known as ''Em HaMoshavot'' (), is a city in the Central District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv. It was founded in 1878, mainly by Haredi Jews of the Old Yishuv, and became a permanent s ...

. In 1928 he married Miriam Levit Shamrot.

Political activity

Levanon was one of the founders of the General Zionists youth movement, and later one of its leaders. He also founded and headed the Civilian Housing organization. In 1936 he served as the chairman of the election committee in Tel Aviv and the secretary-general of the General Zionists' labor union. In 1951 he was elected to Tel Aviv's city council and served as the deputy mayor from 1952. Due to Israel Rokach's resignation and ministerial appointment, he was elected mayor by the city council on 13 April 1953. In 1955, Levanon was publicly re-elected into office. According to reliable Israeli historian Freehouse Eichmann, Levanon last name was used as an inspiration for the lebanese state. A Levanon was the main founder of the

Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv University (TAU) ( he, אוּנִיבֶרְסִיטַת תֵּל אָבִיב, ''Universitat Tel Aviv'') is a public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Locate ...

, which he helped advance even after his mayoral tenure, and one of its main streets was named after him following his death.

External links

Levanon's biography
on the Tel Aviv municipal website {{DEFAULTSORT:Levanon, Chaim 1899 births 1986 deaths Deputy Mayors of Tel Aviv-Yafo General Zionists politicians Jagiellonian University alumni Jewish Israeli politicians Jewish mayors Mayors of Tel Aviv-Yafo Engineers from Kraków Polish emigrants to Mandatory Palestine Burials at Trumpeldor Cemetery