The Israeli Communist Opposition (, ''Opozitzia Komunistit Yisra'elit''), commonly known by its Hebrew acronym Aki (), was a small communist organization in

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

. The group was founded in 1973 by former

Knesset The Knesset ( , ) is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Israel. The Knesset passes all laws, elects the President of Israel, president and Prime Minister of Israel, prime minister, approves the Cabinet of Israel, cabinet, and supe ...

member

Esther Vilenska Esther Vilenska (;‎ 8 June 1918 – 8 November 1975) was an Israeli Communism, communist politician, journalist and author who served as a member of the Knesset for Maki (historical political party), Maki between 1951 and 1959, and then ag ...

after she left Maki. Vilenska had emerged in the spring of 1972 as a leading voice against the Maki leadership, accusing it of 'right-wing deviations'. Vilenska and her followers argued that the alliance should include more radical forces, such as

Uri Avnery Uri Avnery (, also transliterated Uri Avneri; 10 September 1923 – 20 August 2018) was a German-born Israeli writer, journalist, politician, and activist, who founded the Gush Shalom peace movement. A member of the Irgun as a teenager and a vet ...

's Meri. When Meri was not included in the alliance, Vilenska's group participated in the Meri list in the 1973 Knesset election. In the end, the Maki Central Committee expelled her and her associates from the party. Aki was formed by her followers, and was labelled a "splitting, neo- Rakahist tendency" by Maki. Aki had a predominantly Jewish membership. The group opposed both Maki and Rakah. The organization published the monthly ''Hedim'' (, 'Echoes') in Hebrew from

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

, with Vilenska as its editor between 1974 and 1975. It also issued a

Yiddish Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...

publication, ''Undzer shtime'' (, 'Our Voice'). Ahead of the elections to the 12th congress of

Histadrut Histadrut, fully the New General Workers' Federation () and until 1994 the General Federation of Labour in the Land of Israel (, ''HaHistadrut HaKlalit shel HaOvdim B'Eretz Yisrael''), is Israel's national trade union center and represents the m ...

, Aki formed a joint list with the Blue-Red Movement and HaOlam HaZeh. In 1975, former general secretary of Maki Shmuel Mikunis resigned from that party in protest at its merger process with Moked, and joined Aki instead. Aki held a national conference on 5 July 1975, with around a hundred participants; Vilenska and Mikunis led the meeting. The conference elaborated a programme for the organization. Vilenska died on November 9, 1975.

References

{{Authority control Communism in Israel Communist parties in Israel Defunct political parties in Israel Jewish socialism Political parties established in 1973 1973 establishments in Israel Political parties with year of disestablishment missing Secular Jewish culture in Israel