Simcha Honest

Simcha Ehrlich, 1969

Simcha Ehrlich ( Hebrew שמחה ארליך; * 1915 in Poland ; † June 19, 1983 ) was an Israeli politician. From 1977 to 1979 he was Minister of Finance in Menachem Begin's government and later Minister of Agriculture.

Life

Ehrlich was a member of the General Zionist youth movement . In 1938 he emigrated to Palestine and worked as a farmer in Nes Ziona . After the establishment of the State of Israel, he became a member of the Liberal Party . In 1955 he was elected to Tel Aviv City Council. He studied optics and founded a contact lens factory . From 1962 to 1965 he was mayor of Tel Aviv. In 1969 he resigned from the city council and was elected to the Knesset on the list of Gachal, a coalition between the Liberal Party and Cherut . In 1976 he was elected chairman of the Liberal Party.

After the parliamentary elections in 1977, he was appointed Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister. As finance minister, he tried to stimulate the Israeli economy by lifting foreign exchange restrictions and taxes on foreign travel and by making imported goods cheaper. But instead of the hoped-for positive effects, there was a deterioration in the balance of payments , a drastic increase in the inflation rate and a massive increase in imported goods. Ehrlich therefore had to resign as Finance Minister in 1979, but retained his post as Deputy Prime Minister and was responsible for the development of Galilee , the Arab sector and the integration of new immigrants. Ehrlich was appointed Minister of Agriculture after the 1981 elections and remained Deputy Prime Minister until his death.

Web links

• The way to paradise? In: Die Zeit , No. 2/1978, conversation with Simcha Ehrlich