Emanuel Zisman ( bg, Емануел Зисман; he, עמנואל זיסמן, 11 February 1935 – 11 November 2009) was an Israeli politician and ambassador. He 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 (with ...

between 1988 and 1999.

Biography

Zisman was born in

Plovdiv Plovdiv ( bg, Пловдив, ), is the second-largest city in Bulgaria, standing on the banks of the Maritsa river in the historical region of Thrace. It has a population of 346,893 and 675,000 in the greater metropolitan area. Plovdiv is the c ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Mac ...

. On 10 March 1943, the

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...

ish community of Plovdiv, including Zisman and his mother and sister, were rounded up for deportation in the Jewish quarter of the city, near the school. In the wake of public pressure Tsar

Boris III Boris III ( bg, Борѝс III ; Boris Treti; 28 August 1943), originally Boris Klemens Robert Maria Pius Ludwig Stanislaus Xaver (Boris Clement Robert Mary Pius Louis Stanislaus Xavier) , was the Tsar of the Kingdom of Bulgaria from 1918 until hi ...

cancelled the order.Ambassador leaves Israel for homeland posting
Sofia Echo, 15 February 2001 Zisman later 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 newly independent Israel in 1949. Married to Sara with three children, he lived in the

Nayot Nayot ( he, נָיוֹת) is a neighborhood in south-central Jerusalem established in 1960 by a group of English-speaking immigrants.''A holy hill becomes home from home'' Haaretz Magazine, Anglo File, December 24, 1999 Etymology The name ''Nayot' ...

neighborhood of Jerusalem.

Political career

Zisman was a member of

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

city council and served as the Labor Party's chairman in the Jerusalem region. He was first elected to the Knesset on 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 * Structu ...

list in 1988, and was re-elected in

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment building in Amsterdam after two of its engines ...

, by which time the Alignment had merged into the Labor Party. On 7 March 1996 Zisman and Avigdor Kahlani left the Labor Party to form

the Third Way The Third Way ( he, הדרך השלישית, ''HaDerekh HaShlishit'') was a political party in Israel in the 1990s. Background The party was formed on 7 March 1996 towards the end of the thirteenth Knesset's term when two MKs, Avigdor Kahalan ...

.Mergers and Splits Among Parliamentary Groups
Knesset website The new party won four seats in the elections that year, and joined

Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu (; ; born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who served as the ninth prime minister of Israel from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 to 2021. He is currently serving as Leader of the Opposition and Chairman of ...

's government. On 29 March 1999 Zisman left the party to serve the rest of the term as an independent MK. He lost his seat in the May 1999 elections. In October 2000 he was appointed Ambassador to Bulgaria, a post he held until 2002.

Awards

* In 2006, Zisman received the

Yakir Yerushalayim Yakir Yerushalayim ( he, יַקִּיר יְרוּשָׁלַיִם; en, Worthy Citizen of Jerusalem) is an annual citizenship prize in Jerusalem, inaugurated in 1967. The prize is awarded annually by the municipality of the City of Jerusalem to o ...

(Worthy Citizen of Jerusalem) award from the city of

. City of Jerusalem official website

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zisman, Emanuel 1935 births 2009 deaths Bulgarian Jews in Israel Israeli Jews Bulgarian emigrants to Israel Israeli people of Bulgarian-Jewish descent Ambassadors of Israel to Bulgaria Third Way (Israel) politicians Israeli Labor Party politicians Alignment (Israel) politicians Members of the 12th Knesset (1988–1992) Members of the 13th Knesset (1992–1996) Members of the 14th Knesset (1996–1999)