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{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{short description|Israeli politician}}
{{Short description|Israeli politician and activist (1925–2019)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
{{Infobox officeholder
| image= Geulah Cohen D126-118.jpg
| image = Geulah Cohen D126-118.jpg
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1925|12|25|df=y}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1925|12|25|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Tel Aviv]], [[Mandatory Palestine]]
| birth_place = [[Tel Aviv]], [[Mandatory Palestine]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2019|12|18|1925|12|25|df=yes}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2019|12|18|1925|12|25|df=yes}}
| death_place =
| death_place = [[Israel]]
| suboffice1 = [[Likud]]
| suboffice1 = [[Likud]]
| office1=Faction represented in the [[Knesset]] |subterm1 = 1974–1979
| office1 = Faction represented in the [[Knesset]]
| subterm1 = 1974–1979
| suboffice2 = [[Tehiya]]
| suboffice2 = [[Tehiya]]
| subterm2 = 1979–1992
| subterm2 = 1979–1992
| signature = Geulah_Cohen_Signature_from_the_Goldman_Collection.png
}}
}}
'''Geulah Cohen''' ({{Lang-he|גאולה כהן}};
'''Geulah Cohen''' ({{Langx|he|גאולה כהן}};
25 December 1925 – 18 December 2019) was an Israeli politician and activist who founded the [[Tehiya]] party. She won the [[Israel Prize]] in 2003. Between 1974 and 1992, she served as a member of [[Knesset]], initially for [[Likud]]. She changed her political affiliation to Tehiya in 1979. In 1992, she lost her seat in the Knesset.
25 December 1925 – 18 December 2019) was an Israeli politician and activist who founded the [[Tehiya]] party. She won the [[Israel Prize]] in 2003. Between 1974 and 1992, she served as a member of [[Knesset]], initially for [[Likud]]. She changed her political affiliation to Tehiya in 1979. In 1992, she lost her seat in the Knesset.


==Life and career==
==Life and career==
Geulah Cohen was born in [[Tel Aviv]] to a [[Mizrahi Jews|Mizrahi Jewish]] family (from [[Yemeni Jews|Yemen]], [[Moroccan Jews|Morocco]], and [[Turkish Jews|Turkey]]) during the [[Mandatory Palestine|Mandate era]].<ref name = Obit/> She was the daughter of Miriam and Yosef Cohen.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0GtIAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Geulah+Cohen%22+YOSEF+MIRIAM&dq=%22Geulah+Cohen%22+YOSEF+MIRIAM |title = The voice of valor|last1 = Cohen|first1 = Geulah|year = 1990}}</ref> She studied at the Levinsky Teachers Seminary, and earned a master's degree in Jewish Studies, Philosophy, Literature and Bible at the [[Hebrew University of Jerusalem]].<ref name="google">{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Modern Worldwide Extremists and Extremist Groups|author=Atkins, S.E.|date=2004|publisher=Greenwood Press|isbn=9780313324857|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b8k4rEPvq_8C|page=66|access-date=2 March 2015}}</ref>
Geulah Cohen was born in [[Tel Aviv]], [[Mandatory Palestine]] to a [[Mizrahi Jews|Mizrahi Jewish]] family of [[Yemeni Jews|Yemenite]], [[Moroccan Jews|Moroccan]] and [[Turkish Jews|Turkish]] origin.<ref name=Obit /> She was the daughter of Miriam and Yosef Cohen.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0GtIAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Geulah+Cohen%22+YOSEF+MIRIAM |title=The voice of valor|last1=Cohen|first1=Geulah|year=1990}}</ref> She studied at the Levinsky Teachers Seminary, and earned a master's degree in Jewish Studies, Philosophy, Literature and Bible at the [[Hebrew University of Jerusalem]].<ref name="google">{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Modern Worldwide Extremists and Extremist Groups|author=Atkins, S.E.|date=2004|publisher=Greenwood Press|isbn=978-0-313-32485-7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b8k4rEPvq_8C|page=66|access-date=2 March 2015}}</ref>


[[File:Geula Cohen 1948.jpg|thumb|left|Cohen as a radio broadcaster for the Lehi underground station in 1948]]
[[File:Geula Cohen 1948.jpg|thumb|left|Cohen as a radio broadcaster for the Lehi underground station in 1948]]


In 1942 she joined the [[Irgun]], and moved to [[Lehi (group)|Lehi]] the following year.<ref name="google2">{{cite book|title=Nobody Wants To Die|author=BenDov, H.|publisher=PublishAmerica|isbn=9781456081942|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OrvW29gc_7IC|access-date=2 March 2015}}</ref><ref name="google3">{{cite book|title=The Stern Gang: Ideology, Politics, and Terror, 1940-1949|author=Heller, J.|date=1995|publisher=F. Cass|isbn=9780714645582|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0-WsDRJQCO4C|page=265|access-date=2 March 2015}}</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=DTH-CIEqeL8C&pg=PA80&dq=%22Geulah+Cohen%22+lehi&hl=en&ei=M5BQTvboB6jf0QGwwJXlBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAA] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180504185758/https://books.google.com/books?id=DTH-CIEqeL8C&pg=PA80&dq=%22Geulah+Cohen%22+lehi&hl=en&ei=M5BQTvboB6jf0QGwwJXlBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAA |date=4 May 2018 }}</ref> A radio announcer for the group, she was arrested by the British military authorities in 1946 <ref name=wapo>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1978/10/11/fighter-in-the-promised-land-geula-cohen-and-the-new-zionism/1ac2c81a-edc5-43c8-8f6f-e429de5814b0/ washingtonpost.com: "Fighter in the Promised Land, Geula Cohen and the New Zionism"], 11 October 1978</ref> while broadcasting in Tel Aviv. She escaped in May, shortly before her trial, but was recaptured by a group of Arabs.<ref name = Obit/> On 6 June 1946, she was sentenced to seven years imprisonment (nineteen years according to Encyclopaedia Judaica) after being charged with being in possession of a wireless transmitter, four pistols and revolvers and ammunition. During sentencing she sang "[[Hatikvah]]" and was accompanied by 30 members of her family.<ref>"Girl Zionist Sentenced," page 11, The New York Times, 7 June 1946.</ref> She was imprisoned in [[Bethlehem]], but escaped from jail in 1947.<ref name=wapo/> She was also editor of the Lehi newspaper ''Youth Front''. After [[Declaration of Independence (Israel)|Israeli independence]] in 1948, she contributed to ''Sulam'', a monthly magazine published by former Lehi leader [[Israel Eldad]].<ref name = Obit/>
In 1942 she joined the [[Irgun]], and moved to [[Lehi (group)|Lehi]] the following year.<ref name="google2">{{cite book|title=Nobody Wants To Die|author=BenDov, H.|publisher=PublishAmerica|isbn=978-1-4560-8194-2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OrvW29gc_7IC|access-date=2 March 2015}}</ref><ref name="google3">{{cite book|title=The Stern Gang: Ideology, Politics, and Terror, 1940–1949|author=Heller, J.|date=1995|publisher=F. Cass|isbn=978-0-7146-4558-2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0-WsDRJQCO4C|page=265|access-date=2 March 2015}}</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=DTH-CIEqeL8C&dq=%22Geulah+Cohen%22+lehi&pg=PA80] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180504185758/https://books.google.com/books?id=DTH-CIEqeL8C&pg=PA80&dq=%22Geulah+Cohen%22+lehi&hl=en&ei=M5BQTvboB6jf0QGwwJXlBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAA|date=4 May 2018}}</ref> As a radio announcer for the organization, she was arrested by British military authorities in 1946<ref name=wapo>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1978/10/11/fighter-in-the-promised-land-geula-cohen-and-the-new-zionism/1ac2c81a-edc5-43c8-8f6f-e429de5814b0/ washingtonpost.com: "Fighter in the Promised Land, Geula Cohen and the New Zionism"], 11 October 1978</ref> while broadcasting in Tel Aviv. She escaped custody in May, shortly before her trial, but was recaptured by a group of Arabs.<ref name=Obit /> On June 6, 1946, she was sentenced to seven years in prison (the ''Encyclopaedia Judaica'' lists the sentence as 19 years) for possessing a wireless transmitter, pistols, revolvers, and ammunition. During sentencing she sang "[[Hatikvah]]" and was accompanied by 30 members of her family.<ref>"Girl Zionist Sentenced," page 11, ''The New York Times'', 7 June 1946.</ref> Imprisoned in [[Bethlehem]], she escaped in 1947.<ref name=wapo />


Cohen was editor of the Lehi newspaper ''Youth Front''. Following the [[Israeli Declaration of Independence]] in 1948, she contributed to ''Sulam'', a monthly magazine published by former Lehi leader [[Israel Eldad]].<ref name="Obit" />
⚫
Cohen married former Lehi comrade Emanuel Hanegbi.<ref name="google4">{{cite book|title=Who's Who of Women in World Politics|author=Bowker-Saur|date=1991|publisher=Bowker-Saur|isbn=9780862916275|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fjQqAAAAYAAJ|access-date=2 March 2015}}</ref> From 1961 to 1973, she wrote for the Israeli newspaper ''[[Maariv]]'' and served on its editorial board.<ref name="google5">{{cite book|title=Sands of Sorrow: Israel's Journey from Independence|author=Viorst, M.|date=1987|publisher=Tauris|isbn=9781850430643|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_bgzRnh4uvMC|page=216|access-date=2 March 2015}}</ref> While working as a journalist, she came to New York to visit the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi [[Menachem Mendel Schneerson]]. Schneerson encouraged her to get involved with Israeli youth.<ref name="chabad">{{cite web|url=http://www.chabad.org/therebbe/livingtorah/player_cdo/aid/1367235/jewish/If-I-Forget-Thee-Oh-Jerusalem.htm |title=If I Forget Thee, Oh Jerusalem… - Program Three Hundred Twenty Seven - Living Torah – Geulah Cohen |publisher=chabad.org|access-date=2 March 2015}}</ref>


⚫
Cohen was married to former Lehi comrade Emanuel Hanegbi.<ref name="google4">{{cite book |title=Who's Who of Women in World Politics |author=Bowker-Saur |date=1991 |publisher=Bowker-Saur |isbn=978-0-86291-627-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fjQqAAAAYAAJ |access-date=2 March 2015}}</ref> From 1961 to 1973, she wrote for the Israeli newspaper ''[[Maariv (newspaper)|Maariv]]'' and served on its editorial board.<ref name="google5">{{cite book|title=Sands of Sorrow: Israel's Journey from Independence|author=Viorst, M.|date=1987|publisher=Tauris|isbn=978-1-85043-064-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_bgzRnh4uvMC|page=216|access-date=2 March 2015}}</ref> During her career as a journalist, she visited [[Menachem Mendel Schneerson]] in New York, who encouraged her to focus on engaging with Israeli youth.<ref name="chabad">{{cite web|url=http://www.chabad.org/therebbe/livingtorah/player_cdo/aid/1367235/jewish/If-I-Forget-Thee-Oh-Jerusalem.htm |title=If I Forget Thee, Oh Jerusalem… - Program Three Hundred Twenty Seven – Living Torah – Geulah Cohen |publisher=chabad.org|access-date=2 March 2015}}</ref>
⚫
Cohen died on 18 December 2019, one week before her 94th birthday.<ref name = Obit>{{cite news|url = https://www.timesofisrael.com/geula-cohen-veteran-mk-and-right-wing-activist-dies-at-93/|title = Geula Cohen, pre-state underground fighter, veteran right-wing MK, dies at 93|work = [[The Times of Israel]]|date = 19 December 2019|access-date = 18 December 2019}}</ref>

⚫
Cohen died on December 18, 2019, at the age of 93. She was buried at the [[Mount of Olives Jewish Cemetery]] in Jerusalem.<ref name="Obit">{{cite news|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/geula-cohen-veteran-mk-and-right-wing-activist-dies-at-93/|title=Geula Cohen, pre-state underground fighter, veteran right-wing MK, dies at 93|work=[[The Times of Israel]]|date=19 December 2019|access-date=18 December 2019}}</ref>


==Political career==
==Political career==
In 1972, Cohen joined [[Menachem Begin]]'s [[Herut]] party,<ref name=wapo /> then part of the [[Gahal]] alliance, and was [[1973 Israeli legislative election|elected]] to the [[Knesset]] the following year, by which time Gahal had become [[Likud]]. She was [[1977 Israeli legislative election|re-elected]] in 1977.<ref name="google6">{{cite book|title=The Accidental Empire: Israel and the Birth of the Settlements, 1967–1977|author=Gorenberg, G.|date=2007|publisher=Henry Holt and Company|isbn=978-0-8050-8241-8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7_fWu8v0fgAC|page=281|access-date=2 March 2015}}</ref>
In 1972, Cohen joined [[Menachem Begin]]'s [[Herut]] party,<ref name=wapo /> which was then part of the [[Gahal]] alliance. She was [[1973 Israeli legislative election|elected]] to the [[Knesset]] the following year, by which time Gahal had merged into [[Likud]]. She was [[1977 Israeli legislative election|re-elected]] in 1977.<ref name="google6">{{cite book|title=The Accidental Empire: Israel and the Birth of the Settlements, 1967–1977|author=Gorenberg, G.|date=2007|publisher=Henry Holt and Company|isbn=978-0-8050-8241-8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7_fWu8v0fgAC|page=281|access-date=2 March 2015}}</ref>


As an opponent of the [[Camp David Accords (1978)|Camp David Accords]] and the return of [[Sinai Peninsula|Sinai]] to [[Egypt]] as a land-for-peace deal, even to the extent of being thrown out of the Knesset when Begin presented the deal to it,<ref name=wapo /> Cohen and [[Moshe Shamir]] left [[Likud]] in 1979 to found a new right-wing party [[Tehiya|Banai]], later ''Tehiya-Bnai'', and then ''Tehiya''.<ref name=wapo /> The new party was a strong supporter of [[Gush Emunim]] and included prominent members of [[Israeli settlement]]s in the [[West Bank]] and [[Gaza Strip|Gaza]] such as [[Hanan Porat]] and [[Elyakim Haetzni]].<ref name="google7">{{cite book|title=A History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict|author=Tessler, M.A.|date=1994|publisher=Indiana University Press|isbn=978-0-253-20873-6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3kbU4BIAcrQC|page=646|access-date=2 March 2015}}</ref>
As an opponent of the [[Camp David Accords (1978)|Camp David Accords]] and the return of [[Sinai Peninsula]] to [[Egypt]], Cohen was thrown out of the Knesset during Begin's presentation of the agreement.<ref name=wapo /> In 1979, Cohen and [[Moshe Shamir]] left [[Likud]] to establish a new far-right party, initially called [[Tehiya|Banai]], later ''Tehiya-Bnai'', and then ''Tehiya''.<ref name=wapo /> The new party was a strong supporter of [[Gush Emunim]] and included prominent members from [[Israeli settlement]]s in the [[West Bank]] and [[Gaza Strip|Gaza]] such as [[Hanan Porat]] and [[Elyakim Haetzni]].<ref name="google7">{{cite book|title=A History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict|author=Tessler, M.A.|date=1994|publisher=Indiana University Press|isbn=978-0-253-20873-6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3kbU4BIAcrQC|page=646|access-date=2 March 2015}}</ref>


Cohen retained her seat in the [[1981 Israeli legislative election|1981 elections]], and despite their previous differences, Tehiya joined Begin's coalition.<ref name="google8" /> She retained her seat during the elections in 1984 and 1988, and in June 1990, following a coalition crisis, was appointed to the [[Cabinet of Israel|cabinet]] as Deputy Minister of Science and Technology.<ref name="google8">{{cite book|title=The Israeli Labour Party: In the Shadow of the Likud|author=Lochery, N.|date=1997|publisher=Ithaca Press|isbn=978-0-86372-217-2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0hKNPPCgB3gC|page=184|access-date=2 March 2015}}</ref>
Cohen retained her seat in the [[1981 Israeli legislative election|1981 elections]], and Tehiya joined Begin's coalition government.<ref name="google8" /> She was re-elected in 1984 and 1988. In June 1990, following a coalition crisis, she was appointed to the [[Cabinet of Israel|cabinet]] as Deputy Minister of Science and Technology.<ref name="google8">{{cite book|title=The Israeli Labour Party: In the Shadow of the Likud|author=Lochery, N.|date=1997|publisher=Ithaca Press|isbn=978-0-86372-217-2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0hKNPPCgB3gC|page=184|access-date=2 March 2015}}</ref>


Cohen lost her seat in the [[1992 Israeli legislative election|1992 elections]].<ref name=Obit /> That year, she rejoined Likud and remained active in right-wing politics.<ref name = Obit /> Her son, [[Tzachi Hanegbi]], serves as a Knesset member for Likud.<ref name=Obit />
Cohen lost her seat in the [[1992 Israeli legislative election|1992 elections]].<ref name=Obit /> That year, she rejoined Likud and remained active in right-wing politics.<ref name = Obit /> Her son, [[Tzachi Hanegbi]], is a former Knesset member for the Likud.<ref name=Obit />


==Views and opinions==
==Views and opinions==
Cohen opposed territorial concessions. She was a vocal critic of the [[Camp David Accords]] in 1978 and of [[Israel's unilateral disengagement plan]] from [[Gaza Strip|Gaza]] in 2005.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.archives.gov.il/archivegov_eng/publications/electronicpirsum/campdavid/campdavidintroductionb2.htm |title=Archived copy |access-date=27 March 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304111329/http://www.archives.gov.il/archivegov_eng/publications/electronicpirsum/campdavid/campdavidintroductionb2.htm |archive-date=4 March 2016 }}</ref> She described herself as a "woman of violence" in the pursuit of political ends.<ref>{{harvnb|Cohen|1966}}</ref>
Cohen opposed territorial concessions. She was a vocal critic of the [[Camp David Accords]] in 1978 and of [[Israel's unilateral disengagement plan]] from [[Gaza Strip|Gaza]] in 2005.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.archives.gov.il/archivegov_eng/publications/electronicpirsum/campdavid/campdavidintroductionb2.htm |title=ארכיון המדינה |access-date=27 March 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304111329/http://www.archives.gov.il/archivegov_eng/publications/electronicpirsum/campdavid/campdavidintroductionb2.htm |archive-date=4 March 2016 }}</ref> She described herself as a "woman of violence" in the pursuit of political ends.<ref>{{harvnb|Cohen|1966}}</ref>


==Awards and recognition==
==Awards and recognition==
Line 43: Line 47:


==Published work==
==Published work==
*''Story of a Warrior'' (1961; Hebrew autobiography)<ref name=JL>{{cite web|url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/geulah-cohen|title=Geulah Cohen|publisher=Jewish Virtual Library|access-date=18 December 2019}}</ref>
*''Story of a Warrior'' (1961; Hebrew autobiography)
*{{cite book |author=Geulah Cohen |title=Woman of Violence: Memoirs of a Young Terrorist, 1943–1948 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=PNhAAAAAIAAJ |publisher=Holt, Rinehart and Winston | year=1966}} (autobiography)
*{{cite book |first=Geulah |last=Cohen |display-authors=0 |title=Woman of Violence: Memoirs of a Young Terrorist, 1943–1948 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PNhAAAAAIAAJ |publisher=Holt, Rinehart and Winston |year=1966}} (autobiography)
*''Historical Meeting'' (1986) (Hebrew)<ref name=JL/>
*''Historical Meeting'' (1986) (Hebrew)
*''Ein li koah lehiyot ayefa'' ("No Strength To Be Tired"; 2008)<ref name=JL/>
*''Ein li koah lehiyot ayefa'' ("No Strength To Be Tired"; 2008)


==References==
==References==
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[[Category:Jews in Mandatory Palestine]]
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[[Category:Israeli Sephardi Jews]]
[[Category:Mizrahi Jews]]
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[[Category:Lehi (militant group)]]
[[Category:Likud politicians]]
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[[Category:People from Tel Aviv]]
[[Category:Politicians from Tel Aviv]]
[[Category:Tehiya leaders]]
[[Category:Tehiya leaders]]
[[Category:Deputy ministers of Israel]]
[[Category:Deputy ministers of Israel]]
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[[Category:Israeli far-right politicians]]
[[Category:Betar members]]
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[[Category:Irgun members]]
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[[Category:Lehi members]]
[[Category:Jewish women politicians]]
[[Category:Jewish women activists]]
[[Category:Israeli escapees]]
[[Category:Israeli women activists]]
[[Category:Maariv (newspaper) editors]]
[[Category:Burials at the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives]]
[[Category:Escapees from British military detention]]
[[Category:People convicted of illegal possession of weapons]]
[[Category:Prisoners and detainees of Mandatory Palestine]]
[[Category:Women newspaper editors]]

Latest revision as of 19:12, 4 December 2024

Geulah Cohen
Faction represented in the Knesset
1974–1979Likud
1979–1992Tehiya
Personal details
Born(1925-12-25)25 December 1925
Tel Aviv, Mandatory Palestine
Died18 December 2019(2019-12-18) (aged 93)
Israel
Signature

Geulah Cohen (Hebrew: גאולה כהן; 25 December 1925 – 18 December 2019) was an Israeli politician and activist who founded the Tehiya party. She won the Israel Prize in 2003. Between 1974 and 1992, she served as a member of Knesset, initially for Likud. She changed her political affiliation to Tehiya in 1979. In 1992, she lost her seat in the Knesset.

Life and career

[edit]

Geulah Cohen was born in Tel Aviv, Mandatory Palestine to a Mizrahi Jewish family of Yemenite, Moroccan and Turkish origin.[1] She was the daughter of Miriam and Yosef Cohen.[2] She studied at the Levinsky Teachers Seminary, and earned a master's degree in Jewish Studies, Philosophy, Literature and Bible at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.[3]

Cohen as a radio broadcaster for the Lehi underground station in 1948

In 1942 she joined the Irgun, and moved to Lehi the following year.[4][5][6] As a radio announcer for the organization, she was arrested by British military authorities in 1946[7] while broadcasting in Tel Aviv. She escaped custody in May, shortly before her trial, but was recaptured by a group of Arabs.[1] On June 6, 1946, she was sentenced to seven years in prison (the Encyclopaedia Judaica lists the sentence as 19 years) for possessing a wireless transmitter, pistols, revolvers, and ammunition. During sentencing she sang "Hatikvah" and was accompanied by 30 members of her family.[8] Imprisoned in Bethlehem, she escaped in 1947.[7]

Cohen was editor of the Lehi newspaper Youth Front. Following the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948, she contributed to Sulam, a monthly magazine published by former Lehi leader Israel Eldad.[1]

Cohen was married to former Lehi comrade Emanuel Hanegbi.[9] From 1961 to 1973, she wrote for the Israeli newspaper Maariv and served on its editorial board.[10] During her career as a journalist, she visited Menachem Mendel Schneerson in New York, who encouraged her to focus on engaging with Israeli youth.[11]

Cohen died on December 18, 2019, at the age of 93. She was buried at the Mount of Olives Jewish Cemetery in Jerusalem.[1]

Political career

[edit]

In 1972, Cohen joined Menachem Begin's Herut party,[7] which was then part of the Gahal alliance. She was elected to the Knesset the following year, by which time Gahal had merged into Likud. She was re-elected in 1977.[12]

As an opponent of the Camp David Accords and the return of Sinai Peninsula to Egypt, Cohen was thrown out of the Knesset during Begin's presentation of the agreement.[7] In 1979, Cohen and Moshe Shamir left Likud to establish a new far-right party, initially called Banai, later Tehiya-Bnai, and then Tehiya.[7] The new party was a strong supporter of Gush Emunim and included prominent members from Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza such as Hanan Porat and Elyakim Haetzni.[13]

Cohen retained her seat in the 1981 elections, and Tehiya joined Begin's coalition government.[14] She was re-elected in 1984 and 1988. In June 1990, following a coalition crisis, she was appointed to the cabinet as Deputy Minister of Science and Technology.[14]

Cohen lost her seat in the 1992 elections.[1] That year, she rejoined Likud and remained active in right-wing politics.[1] Her son, Tzachi Hanegbi, is a former Knesset member for the Likud.[1]

Views and opinions

[edit]

Cohen opposed territorial concessions. She was a vocal critic of the Camp David Accords in 1978 and of Israel's unilateral disengagement plan from Gaza in 2005.[15] She described herself as a "woman of violence" in the pursuit of political ends.[16]

Awards and recognition

[edit]
  • In 2003, Cohen was awarded the Israel Prize for her lifetime achievements and special contribution to society and the State of Israel.[17][18]
  • In 2007, she received the Yakir Yerushalayim (Worthy Citizen of Jerusalem) award from the city of Jerusalem.[19]

Published work

[edit]
  • Story of a Warrior (1961; Hebrew autobiography)
  • Woman of Violence: Memoirs of a Young Terrorist, 1943–1948. Holt, Rinehart and Winston. 1966. (autobiography)
  • Historical Meeting (1986) (Hebrew)
  • Ein li koah lehiyot ayefa ("No Strength To Be Tired"; 2008)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Geula Cohen, pre-state underground fighter, veteran right-wing MK, dies at 93". The Times of Israel. 19 December 2019. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  2. ^ Cohen, Geulah (1990). "The voice of valor".
  3. ^ Atkins, S.E. (2004). Encyclopedia of Modern Worldwide Extremists and Extremist Groups. Greenwood Press. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-313-32485-7. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  4. ^ BenDov, H. Nobody Wants To Die. PublishAmerica. ISBN 978-1-4560-8194-2. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  5. ^ Heller, J. (1995). The Stern Gang: Ideology, Politics, and Terror, 1940–1949. F. Cass. p. 265. ISBN 978-0-7146-4558-2. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  6. ^ [1] Archived 4 May 2018 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ a b c d e washingtonpost.com: "Fighter in the Promised Land, Geula Cohen and the New Zionism", 11 October 1978
  8. ^ "Girl Zionist Sentenced," page 11, The New York Times, 7 June 1946.
  9. ^ Bowker-Saur (1991). Who's Who of Women in World Politics. Bowker-Saur. ISBN 978-0-86291-627-5. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  10. ^ Viorst, M. (1987). Sands of Sorrow: Israel's Journey from Independence. Tauris. p. 216. ISBN 978-1-85043-064-3. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  11. ^ "If I Forget Thee, Oh Jerusalem… - Program Three Hundred Twenty Seven – Living Torah – Geulah Cohen". chabad.org. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  12. ^ Gorenberg, G. (2007). The Accidental Empire: Israel and the Birth of the Settlements, 1967–1977. Henry Holt and Company. p. 281. ISBN 978-0-8050-8241-8. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  13. ^ Tessler, M.A. (1994). A History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. Indiana University Press. p. 646. ISBN 978-0-253-20873-6. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  14. ^ a b Lochery, N. (1997). The Israeli Labour Party: In the Shadow of the Likud. Ithaca Press. p. 184. ISBN 978-0-86372-217-2. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  15. ^ "ארכיון המדינה". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  16. ^ Cohen 1966
  17. ^ "Israel Prize Official Site (in Hebrew) – Recipient's C.V."
  18. ^ "Israel Prize Official Site (in Hebrew) – Judges' Rationale for Grant to Recipient".
  19. ^ "Recipients of Yakir Yerushalayim award (in Hebrew)". Archived from the original on 17 June 2011. City of Jerusalem official website
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