Maurice (Moshe) Fischer (January 23, 1903,

Anvers Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

- August 20, 1965,

Zurich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

) was an agent with Mossad LeAliya Bet, an intelligence officer in the

Free French Free France () was a resistance government claiming to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third French Republic, Third Republic during World War II. Led by General , Free France was established as a gover ...

army in

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

and

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

, the contact person of the

Yishuv The Yishuv (), HaYishuv Ha'ivri (), or HaYishuv HaYehudi Be'Eretz Yisra'el () was the community of Jews residing in Palestine prior to the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. The term came into use in the 1880s, when there were about 2 ...

leadership with French intelligence, an Israeli

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

, the first Israeli Ambassador to France, Minister to Turkey from 1953 until 1957, deputy director of the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

and Ambassador to Italy from 1961 to 1965

Biography

Maurice Fischer was born in

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

, in 1903, the son of Sophie (nee Landy) and Jean (Yona) Fischer, a

diamantaire A diamantaire (''French origin'') could be a gem-quality diamond manufacturer or producer, master diamond cutter, and or a graduate gemologist specializing in diamonds. Such individuals demonstrate considerable expertise in different types of g ...

and Zionist

activist Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from mandate build ...

. He studied in Belgium at Brussels College and immigrated to Israel in 1930. At first he lived with his family in

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 ...

. In 1933 he moved to a

villa A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house that provided an escape from urban life. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the f ...

, which is now located at 19 Ma'ale Hascopus St.,

Ramat Gan Ramat Gan (, ) is a city in the Tel Aviv District of Israel, located east of the municipality of Tel Aviv, and is part of the Gush Dan, Gush Dan metropolitan area. It is home to a Diamond Exchange District (one of the world's major diamond exch ...

. The two-story building was designed by the architect Carl Rubin in the

Bauhaus The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the , was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined Decorative arts, crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., ...

style and is currently listed as a conservation building.

Settlement

Fisher engaged in settlement and

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

, and together with his uncle Yehoshua (Oscar) Fisher, founded the settlement

Kfar Yona Kfar Yona () is a city in the Central District (Israel), Central District of Israel. It is located between the cities Netanya and Tulkarm, about 8 km east of Netanya in the central junction between Highway 6 (Israel), Highway 6 and Highway 4 ...

, named after his father. In 1932 he was, along with Yitzhak Rokah and Shlomo Gotthilf one of the founders of a company called "Hasharon Orchards", which operated in the 1930s and engaged in agricultural cultivation with the help of hired laborers on land purchased by Jews from abroad in the village of Yona. In 1940, the company fell into debt, and was apparently shut down.

Cooperation with French intelligence

On March 15, 1942, Fischer joined the Free French Army. He moved with his family to live in

Sidon Sidon ( ) or better known as Saida ( ; ) is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast in the South Governorate, Lebanon, South Governorate, of which it is the capital. Tyre, Lebanon, Tyre, t ...

and later in

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

. He served as an officer in French intelligence in Syria and Lebanon until July 1946 under the name Edouard Lavergne. In addition, Fischer served as a liaison between

de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free France, Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Re ...

's movement and the leaders of the Yishuv in Israel. Fischer was behind the

Ben-Gurion David Ben-Gurion ( ; ; born David Grün; 16 October 1886 – 1 December 1973) was the primary national founder and first prime minister of the State of Israel. As head of the Jewish Agency from 1935, and later president of the Jewish Agency ...

meeting With General Paul Bain, the head of the French mission in Syria and Lebanon, in a meeting held in October 1944 In Beirut, a secret Zionist-French cooperation was established, which gave

Eliyahu Sasson Eliyahu Sasson (; 2 February 1902 – 8 October 1978) was a diplomat, member of the Knesset and minister in the government of Israel. Biography Education Sasson was born in Damascus in Ottoman Syria. He studied at an Alliance School in his ...

, head of the Arab wing of the

Jewish Agency The Jewish Agency for Israel (), formerly known as the Jewish Agency for Palestine, is the largest Jewish non-profit organization in the world. It was established in 1929 as the operative branch of the World Zionist Organization (WZO). As an ...

, and a small group in the political department of the Jewish Agency, access to French sources of information - including Syrian and British secret documents. The cooperation with French intelligence was a key element in Ben- Gurion's ability to lead the Yishuv and the State of Israel to victory in the face of the secret British intelligence plan, the ' Clayton Plan', to prevent the implementation of the partition plan and the establishment of a

Jewish state In world politics, Jewish state is a characterization of Israel as the nation-state and sovereign homeland for the Jewish people. Overview Modern Israel came into existence on 14 May 1948 as a polity to serve as the homeland for the Jewi ...

. For his service, he received medals of distinction from the

French government The Government of France (, ), officially the Government of the French Republic (, ), exercises Executive (government), executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister of France, prime minister, who is the head of government, ...

and was an officer of the French

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

After World War II

After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

he served as political secretary of the Jewish Agency in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

under

Moshe Sneh Moshe Sneh (; 6 January 1909 – 1 March 1972) was a Haganah commander and an Israeli politician. One of the founders of Mapam, he later joined the Israeli Communist Party (Maki). Biography Mosze Klaynboym (later Sneh) attended high scho ...

. In 1948, with the establishment of the state of Israel, he was appointed as the representative of the

provisional government A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, a transitional government or provisional leadership, is a temporary government formed to manage a period of transition, often following state collapse, revoluti ...

to the capital of France. At the time, he represented Israel in the United Nations Assembly in Paris. In May 1949, he was promoted to the rank of Israel's ambassador to France, due to its recognition of Israel. Among his actions at that time were the regulation of the independent status of French institutions in the State of Israel, within the framework of the Fischer-Chauvel agreement, delivering the report of the Israeli government regarding the murder of

Folke Bernadotte Folke Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg (2 January 1895 – 17 September 1948) was a Swedish nobleman and diplomat. In World War II, he negotiated the release of about 450 Danish Jews and 30,550 non-Jewish prisoners of many nations from the Nazi ...

to the

Swedish government The Government of the Kingdom of Sweden () is the national cabinet of Sweden, and the country's executive authority. The Government consists of the Prime Minister and their cabinet ministers (). The Government is responsible for its actions ...

(1949), served as head The Israeli delegation to the "

United Nations Conciliation Commission for Palestine The United Nations Conciliation Commission for Palestine (UNCCP) or Palestine Conciliation Commission (PCC) was created by UN-resolution 194 of December 11, 1948, with the aim of mediating in the Arab–Israeli conflict. The Commission consisted o ...

" (1951), was involved in the first contacts of the discussions with

Konrad Adenauer Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer (5 January 1876 – 19 April 1967) was a German statesman and politician who served as the first Chancellor of Germany, chancellor of West Germany from 1949 to 1963. From 1946 to 1966, he was the first leader of th ...

regarding the " Reparations Agreement", was a member of the Israeli delegation to

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

and more. In May 1953, Fischer moved to serve as Israel's envoy in

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

, the capital of

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. He served in the position until 1957. After that he served in the

in Jerusalem as the director of the Latin American Department. Later he was appointed as the Deputy General Manager and as the Director of the Western Europe Department. In 1960 he was appointed Israel's ambassador to

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. At the same time, he also dealt with

Vatican City Vatican City, officially the Vatican City State (; ), is a Landlocked country, landlocked sovereign state and city-state; it is enclaved within Rome, the capital city of Italy and Bishop of Rome, seat of the Catholic Church. It became inde ...

. In addition, he was involved in the organization of

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...

's visit to Israel. (1964). Maurice Fischer died in 1965 in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, during his term as ambassador, after a serious illness. He was brought to Jerusalem for burial. Fisher was married twice. With his first wife, Dina (nee Rizkin), he had two children - art curator Yona Fischer, and his brother Yosef, a social activist within the

Jerusalem Foundation The Jerusalem Foundation (, ''HaKeren LiYerushalayim''; ) is a Foundation (non-profit), nonprofit foundation that promotes the development of the city of Jerusalem, by raising funds for social, cultural and beautification projects. Established in ...

. With his second wife, Haya (nee Rizkin), he had a daughter - Dafna. In 1964, a forest was dedicated in his honour, near

Kfar Yehoshua Kfar Yehoshua () is a moshav in northern Israel. Located between Haifa and Nazareth, it falls under the jurisdiction of Jezreel Valley Regional Council. In it had a population of . History Ottoman era Near the village there is an archaeologic ...

, on behalf of the

Jewish National Fund The Jewish National Fund (JNF; , ''Keren Kayemet LeYisrael''; previously , ''Ha Fund HaLeumi'') is a non-profit organizationProfessor Alon Tal, The Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, The Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben Gurion ...

. There are a number of streets in Jerusalem and Kfar Yona named after him.

References

External links

In the Shadow of the Holocaust and the InquisitionThe French Connection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fischer, Maurice Ambassadors of Israel to France Ambassadors of Israel to Turkey Ambassadors of Israel to Italy 1965 deaths Immigrants to Mandatory Palestine Burials at Har HaMenuchot