29 Facts About Haim Drukman

Haim Drukman was an Israeli Orthodox rabbi and politician.

Haim Drukman was awarded the Israel Prize for his contribution to society and education.

Haim Meir Drukman was born in Kuty in the Second Polish Republic.

Haim Drukman was reunited with his real parents after World War II.

In 1949, Haim Drukman joined the Israel Defense Forces as part of the Bnei Akiva gar'in in the Nahal brigade.

Haim Drukman then transferred to the Mercaz HaRav yeshiva in Jerusalem, where he became a student of Zvi Yehuda Kook.

In 1964, with his teacher's encouragement, Haim Drukman founded Yeshivat Or Etzion, a Bnei Akiva-affiliated mamlachti dati high school, in Merkaz Shapira.

Haim Drukman remained rosh yeshiva there for the rest of his life.

Haim Drukman's efforts were recognised by Benjamin Netanyahu, who said that the rabbi "found a way of bringing hearts together that helped masses of new immigrants to join the ranks of our people".

Haim Drukman was considered to be the most influential spiritual leader of Religious Zionism.

Haim Drukman was instrumental in shifting this sector over from the centre-left, where it had been during Israel's founding, to the far right.

Haim Drukman was first elected to the Knesset in the 1977 elections on the National Religious Party's list and served as a member of the 9th Knesset from 1977 to 1981.

Haim Drukman was a member of the Knesset committees for the Appointment of Rabbinic Judges, Foreign Affairs and Defense, and Education and Culture during this tenure.

Haim Drukman was re-elected in 1981, again representing the National Religious Party in the 10th Knesset from 1981 to 1984 and serving as a member of the same Knesset committees as he had during the 9th Knesset.

Haim Drukman was appointed Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs on 11 August 1981.

On 29 July 1986, Haim Drukman left Morasha and returned to the NRP.

Haim Drukman returned to serve his final four-year term during the 15th Knesset from 1999 to 2003, again as a representative for the National Religious Party.

Haim Drukman was a member of the committees for Foreign Affairs and Defense, the Appointment of Rabbinic Judges, and Internal Affairs and Environment, as well as a member on the special committees for the Discussion of the Security Service Law, and on Addictions, Drugs, and the Challenges Facing Young Israelis.

Haim Drukman was instrumental in bridging the gap between Smotrich and Benjamin Netanyahu when the latter sought to put together a right-wing coalition government.

Haim Drukman even invited Mansour Abbas to his home, in order to explore the possibility of including the United Arab List in a narrow right-wing coalition.

Haim Drukman was a proponent of the confluence of the three concepts of Israel: The Nation of Israel keeping the Torah of Israel in the Land of Israel.

Haim Drukman took part in a Passover Seder in newly occupied Hebron in 1968, which eventually led to the founding of an Israeli settlement in that city.

Haim Drukman opposed the evacuation of Yamit in 1982, moving there temporarily with his family in order to make a political statement.

Haim Drukman issued a ruling to soldiers to avoid being involved in these kinds of situations, and, where that was not possible, to refuse such orders.

Haim Drukman did not support a controversial letter penned by rabbis in 2010 that called for Jews to refrain from letting homes to Arabs.

Haim Drukman lived in Merkaz Shapira with his wife Sarah, one of the first religious women to graduate as a physician from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Haim Drukman died on 25 December 2022, at age 90, at Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem, after becoming infected with COVID-19 two weeks prior.

Haim Drukman had an outsized influence on Israel's populace, especially in the Religious Zionist sector.

In 2012, Haim Drukman was awarded the Israel Prize for his contribution to society and education.