Assembly of Representatives

Lexicon of Terms

The Assembly of Representatives, 12.9.1944

Lexicon of Terms

Assembly of Representatives (Assefat Hanivharim)

The Assembly of Representatives was the supreme representative body of the Yishuv - the Jewish community in Mandatory Palestine. Its members were first elected in 1920. The Assembly was officially recognized by the British authorities in 1928, on the basis of the 1926 Organization of Religious Communities Order. The members of the Assembly of Representatives were the representatives of the lists elected in general elections by the organized Jewish community at the time, which was known as "Knesset Yisrael". The elections were held on a party basis, in country-wide proportional elections - a system almost identical to that which exists in Israel today (see The Electoral System). The Assembly held one annual session, at which the Va'ad Le`umi - the National Council of the Jewish community in Eretz Yisrasel - was elected. The Council ran the national and communal affairs of the community. The Assembly of Representatives was authorized to take decisions and to vote on the budgets of the National Council and the Rabbinical Council. Agudat Yisrael and the haredi (ultra-religious) community refused to participate in the Assembly of Representatives because of their objection to secular Zionism. After 1944, the Revisionists and several other political groups also boycotted it due to their opposition to the official policy of the elected leadership. In the course of the Mandatory period four Assemblies were elected: in 1920, 1925, 1931 and 1944. The first had 314 members, representing 20 lists elected by 22,200 voters; the second had 221 members, representing 26 lists elected by 36,437 voters; the third had 71 members, representing 12 lists elected by 50,436 voters, and the fourth had 171 members, representing 18 lists and elected by 202,448 voters.