Warhaftig, Zerach

▪ 2003

      Israeli rabbi, lawyer, and politician (b. Feb. 2, 1906, Volkovysk, Russian Empire (now in Belarus)—d. Sept. 26, 2002, Jerusalem, Israel), was one of the 37 signatories to the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948 and founder (1956) of the National Religious Party. He was an influential member of the Knesset (parliament) from 1949 to 1981. As deputy minister (in the 1950s) and then minister (1961–74) of religious affairs, Warhaftig created Israel's rabbinical court system, established legislation making the observance of Jewish holidays and dietary laws compulsory, and provided exemption from military service for Talmudic religious students. He supported rights for non-Jewish Israelis, however, and in 1967 he drafted an edict providing for religious autonomy and protecting Muslim and Christian as well as Jewish holy sites.

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