In memory of Elyakim Haetzni

 

The Jewish community of Hebron mourns the loss of Elyakim Haetzni, a pioneer
of the modern community, who passed away at the age of 96.

“He was among the rare individuals who acted with absolute loyalty to the Land of Israel
despite not being defined as ‘religious,’ and came to settle with his family in Hebron
under difficult and challenging conditions,” stated Hebron community spokesman Noam
Arnon.

“He and his late wife Tzip hosted tens of thousands of visitors in their home who were
amazed by their pioneering Zionist spirit,” he added.

He was born in Germany in 1926, and lived under the Nazi regime until Kristallnacht in
1938. At the age of 12, his family escaped to the Land of Israel and lived in
Jerusalem.

As a law student at Hebrew University, Haetzni helped found Shurat Ha’mitnadvim, a group
dedicated to helping new immigrants, especially those living in government-run transit
camps.

He was active in the Mapai youth group and served in the Haganah. During the War of
Independence he took part in escorting convoys and was seriously injured by the
Jordanian shelling of Jerusalem.

After the Six Day War in 1967, he joined The Movement for a Complete Land of Israel, a
group of right-wing and left-wing intellectuals who advocated repopulating Judea,
Samaria, Gaza and the Golan Heights. Haetzni’s Tel Aviv law office became a center for
such advocacy.

In 1968, the Haetznis participated in the Passover seder in Hebron organized by Rabbi
Moshe and Miriam Levinger. The large event marked the beginning of the return to Judea
and Samaria. He and his family left Ramat Gan in 1972 to join the newly established
community of Kiryat Arba, adjacent to Hebron. He spent the next five decades advocating
for Hebron’s Jewish community and championing the rights of Israelis living in the
liberated territories. His law office took on both Jewish and Arab clients and he
advocated for coexistence.

Haetzni was a member of the Yesha Council, the governing body for residents of Judea and
Samaria. He served as a Member of Knesset for two years with the Tehiya party. He
received the Jerusalem Prize in 2022 for his work.

Haetzni is survived by four children: Boaz Haetzni, Nadav Haetzni, Yishai Haetzni and
Sarah Haetzni-Cohen. He is also survived by his sister, and many grandchildren and
great-grandchildren.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz called him “a man led and guided by his values. He
passionately acted in accordance with his beliefs, and alongside that, he never forgot
to be humane toward every human.”

Former prime minister Benyamin Netanyahu stated he was “one of the outstanding figures
in the settlement of Judea and Samaria. The love of the Land of Israel that ran through
his veins will always serve as a light to his memory.”

The Kiryat Arba-Hebron local council stated, “he was a founding father of the settlement
movement, a man of leadership and kindness. A humble and modest man who always put
public matters first. Elyakim was loved by the public, he would spread peace and would
unite communities. He stayed dedicated to the people of Israel and the state of Israel
until his last days.”

 

 

* Father
of settlement movement Elyakim Haetzni dies aged 96 – Times of
Israel

* Décès
d’Elyakim Haetzni, pilier de l’implantation juive en Judée-Samarie –
LPH

* Israeli settlement pioneer
Elyakim Haetzni dies at 96 – Jerusalem Post

* Former
MK Elyakim Haetzni Passes Away at 96 – Jewish Press

* Elyakim
Haetzni, West Bank Settler Leader, Dies at Age 96 – Haaretz

* Settlement activist Elyakim
Haetzni dies at 96 – Arutz Sheva

* Mediating
between Citizens and New State: History of Shurat
Ha-mitnadvim

* Elyakim Haetzni
offers fresh perspective on Israeli-Palestinian conflict –
2018

* Biography on
Knesset website

 

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