Eliahu Ben Elissar | |
|---|---|
אליהו בן אלישר | |
 | |
| Ambassador of Israel to Egypt | |
| In office 1980–1981 | |
| Succeeded by | Moshe Sasson |
| Member of theKnesset forLikud | |
| In office 1981–1996 | |
| Ambassador of Israel to the United States | |
| In office 1996–1998 | |
| Preceded by | Itamar Rabinovich |
| Succeeded by | Zalman Shoval |
| Ambassador of Israel to France | |
| In office 1998–2000 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1932-08-02)2 August 1932 |
| Died | 12 August 2000(2000-08-12) (aged 68) |
| Political party | Likud |
| Height | 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) |
| Alma mater | University of Paris University of Geneva Graduate Institute of International Studies |
| Occupation | Politician, Statesman, Author |
Eliyahu Ben-Elissar (Hebrew:אליהו בן אלישר; 2 August 1932 - 12 August 2000) was an Israelipolitician anddiplomat.
BornEli Gottlieb inRadom inPoland in 1932, Ben-Elissar was the son of a distinguished family.[1] His parents were Eliezer and Hela (née Dobrzynska) Gottlieb. Eliezer and his brother, Jacob, owned and operated Brago, a successful foundry. Eli was the youngest of three siblings. The eldest, a sister Diana, was born on 7 August 1923, and a brother, Nathan, was born on 21 November 1925.
Ten-year-old Gottlieb immigrated toMandate Palestine in 1942 with some members of a Radomer family named Graucher using a visa originally obtained for a son who had already been deported by the Nazis.[2] Ironically, the name of the child whose death allowed Eli to survive was named Natan Chaim (Hebrew for "he gave life"). Gottlieb attended the Bilu School inTel Aviv, joined theIrgun, and served in theIDF until 1965. He subsequently graduated from theUniversity of Paris with a BA in Social Sciences and an MA in International Law and later earned a PhD at theUniversity of Geneva-affiliatedGraduate Institute of International Studies.[3]
Being in Palestine during the latter years ofthe Holocaust, Ben-Elissar did not know the fate of his family until the war's end in 1945. With his father's death in theFlossenbürg concentration camp, and his mother's demise due to a tragic road accident in Germany after the war, Ben-Elissar was orphaned at the age of 14. The effects of the Holocaust were always of great and enduring significance in his life.
In 1947, Ben Elissar's sister, Diana, immigrated to theUnited States with her new husband, Moshe (Murray) Weinstock. Raising three children, Leo, Allen, and Elaine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Diana remained a steadfast fixture in Ben-Elissar's life. His brother, Nathan, served in the IDF during the1948 Arab-Israeli War, studied in Vienna, and emigrated to the United States in 1967 where he served as a cantor for many years. Nathan married Rochelle Kelman, and they had a daughter, Nechama.
Ben-Elissar married Diana (née Dudel), and his second wife was Nitza (née Efroni). After receiving his doctorate, Ben Elissar became a journalist and then a spokesman for theHerut party. He was appointed Director-General of the Prime Minister's Office ofMenachem Begin in 1977, a position he held until 1980 when he was appointed as Israel's first ambassador toEgypt following theIsrael-Egypt Peace Treaty.[4][5]
In 1981 he left his ambassadorial post, and waselected to the Knesset on theLikud list. During his first Knesset term he chaired the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. He was re-elected in1984,1988,1992, and1996, and again chaired the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee between 1988 and 1992.[1]
Four months after the1996 elections he left the Knesset to becomeambassador to the United States.[1][6] In 1998, he was appointed ambassador to France.[1] He authored several books in Hebrew and in French.
He died inParis on 12 August 2000 of cardiac arrest.[5] He is buried in theMount of Olives Jewish Cemetery inJerusalem, next to his mother, sister, brother, sister-in-law, brother-in-law and uncle.
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by First post-holder | Israeli Ambassador to Egypt 1980-1981 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Israeli Ambassador to France 1998-2000 | Succeeded by |
|
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
