Hillel was first elected to the Knesset in the early 1950s on behalf of Mapai, and served as Minister of the Interior and Minister of Police, among others. • In 1998 he won the Israel Prize for his special contribution to society and the state
Shlomo Hillel.
Speaker of the 11th Knesset
Photography:
Lior Mizrahi
The former Knesset Speaker and former Minister, Shlomo Hillel, passed away today (Monday) at the age of 97. Among other things, he served as Interior Minister and Minister of Police in the 1970s, and was the 11th Knesset Speaker in the Shamir-Peres government in the 1980s.
In 1998 he won the Israel Prize.
Hillel was born in Iraq, and at the age of 11 immigrated to Israel with his family and studied at the Herzliya Gymnasium.
After that, he began higher education and studied a degree in political science, economics and public administration at the Hebrew University.
From an early age, a former Knesset member made his first steps in his public activity, which lasted for decades.
In the early years of the state, Shlomo Hillel was one of the leaders in the operations to bring the Jews of Arab countries and Iran to Israel, and at the same time he was one of the founders of Kibbutz Maagan Michael.
He was first elected to the Knesset in 1952, and served in it for seven years.
The former Speaker of the Knesset was a pioneer of Israeli diplomacy in Africa, and in 1959 was appointed the first ambassador to Guinea, and later served as ambassador to other African countries.
At the end of his diplomatic activity, he returned to politics and was elected to the Knesset in 1974, where he served for 18 consecutive years.
During his time in the Knesset, his decision to apply the Law of Return to Beta Israel is particularly memorable.
After retiring from the Knesset, Shlomo Hillel turned to new directions in his career, including: World Chairman of the Keren Hayesod and President of the Council for the Preservation of Heritage Sites in Israel.
In the jubilee year of the state, Shlomo Hillel won the Israel Prize for his special contribution to society and the state.
The Speaker of the Knesset, MK Yariv Levin, praised him: "Israel is today saying goodbye to one of its nobles. A dedicated public figure, who worked hard for the restoration and construction of the state, and did much to encourage immigration and bring many immigrants to Israel with daring operations."
He added: "The farewell to Shlomo Hillel is a farewell to an extraordinary Zionist leader, to whom the State of Israel owes much for his many years of public and diplomatic work. We will miss Shlomo Hillel's inspiring leadership very much. I extend my condolences to his family."