Avraham Ofer | |
|---|---|
אברהם עופר | |
 | |
| Ministerial roles | |
| 1974–1977 | Minister of Housing |
| Faction represented in theKnesset | |
| 1969–1977 | Alignment |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1922 (1922) |
| Died | 3 January 1977(1977-01-03) (aged 54–55) |
Avraham Ofer (Hebrew:אברהם עופר; 1922 asAvraham Hirsch – 3 January 1977) was anIsraeli politician, famous for committing suicide following the eruption of a corruption scandal.[1]
Ofer was born in theChorostkówshtetl inPoland (today inUkraine) in 1922, andimmigrated toMandatory Palestine in 1933. He went to High School inJerusalem and studied in theHebrew University of Jerusalem. In 1937 he joined theHaganah and in 1942 he was among the founders ofKibbutzHamadia. In 1944 he was one of the founders of the Young Leadership inMapai and among of founders and first Director ofHaKfar HaYarok.[2]
In the1948 Arab-Israeli War, he was one of the 3 men who were charged with building theIsraeli Navy and served in it as a lieutenant colonel, and was later the first commander of theEilat Naval Base.
In 1952, he was elected Secretary of Mapai inTel Aviv District. In 1958, he joined the Agriculture Ministry, established the Poultry Council and became Deputy Director General for Economic Affairs. In 1964, he was a member of the delegation that conducted negotiations with theEuropean Community and at the end of that year he was appointed General Manager of "Ashdod Company". In 1965, he was elected to theTel Aviv City Council and was Deputy Mayor of Tel Aviv until 1967, when he was appointed Managing Director of "Shikun Ovdim". In 1969, he was elected to the7th Knesset for theAlignment. He is known for his amendment to the election law, initiated along withGahal'sYohanan Bader, which adapted theD'Hondt method, effective since the8th Knesset. In 1973, he was appointedMinister of Housing byYitzhak Rabin.[3]
In November 1976,Yigal Laviv, a correspondent of the weeklyHaolam Hazeh, gave the police information on 30 different matters raising suspicions of offenses committed by Ofer, including allegations of embezzlement in Shikun Ovdim funds in favor of the party. The police examined Laviv's charges, but came to the conclusion toward the end of the year that they were not substantiated, leading Ofer to expect that an official statement clearing him would soon be made.
However, Attorney GeneralAharon Barak decided to continue with the investigation based on new testimony.On 31 December a witness in theYadlin affair sent the police a statement which raised more questions for investigation, and various rumors were published about possible charges. On 2 January, Prime Minister Rabin and Justice MinisterZadok assured Ofer that everything possible would be done to expedite the inquiry.[4]
On January 3, his body was found in his car on a Tel Aviv beach. In a suicide note, Ofer said he was innocent, but did not have the strength "to bear any more." He was reported to have been particularly depressed by the lack of support from his political associates.[4]
Rabin delivered the eulogy at Ofer's funeral. Speaking to the country's political elite at a crowded service in Tel Aviv, Rabin recalled how Ofer had come to him to discuss the accusations in what turned out to be their final meeting. "Your words still ring in my ears," the Premier said. ' 'Yitzhak,' you told me, 'believe me, I am not guilty of any transgressions.' I replied to you, Avraham, that I, Yitzhak Rabin, wholly trust in your innocence."[5]
The succession of scandals led Rabin's opponents to charge that he lacked the ability to lead, and in the1977 elections theAlignment indeed lost. After his death, the charges were dropped and Ofer's guilt was never proven. Today, his suicide is often seen as a display of shame among civil servants that is perceived to be missing in contemporary Israeli politicians.[6]
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