Avraham Krinitzi

Avraham Krinitzi (Hebrew: אברהם קריניצי‎‎; December 26, 1886 – November 13, 1969) was an Israeli politician who served as the first mayor of Ramat Gan between 1926 and 1969.^[1]

Biography

Childhood and military service

Krinitzi was born on 1886 in Grodno in the Russian Empire (present–day in Belarus). In 1905 he immigrated to Ottoman-ruled Palestine during the Second Aliyah. He became involved in settlement activities and security and was one of the early members of the Haganah. During World War I he worked for the Ottoman railways.

Political career

In 1926, the Mandatory Palestine government granted Ramat Gan the status of a local council, and Krinitzi became its first Head. Between 1926 and his death in 1969 he won twelve consecutive elections, and hs term in office of 43 years (24 years as the Head of the Council and another 19 years as mayor) is thought to be a world record. During his term in offices, he oversaw a succession of coalitions between right-wing and centrist parties.

Death

In November 1969, shortly after his election for mayor for the twelfth term, he died in a car accident along with his son-in-law Yeshayahu Shmuelevich and his driver Baruch Azani. The three were buried in a special gravesite at the Ramat Gan National Park.

In his will, that was written in June 1966, he left his home by the municipality to be used for public and culturally purposes. Today the house as a museum and archive the history of Ramat Gan with experiential training activities are conducted for tourists and schools students. Documentation Centre of the History of Ramat Gan provides researchers documents and photos on various subjects from the early settlement to the present.

References

External links

• Krinitzi House website (Hebrew)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Avraham Krinitzi.

Mayors of Ramat Gan
Avraham Krinitzi (1926–1969) Yisrael Peled (1969–1983) Uri Amit (1983–1989) Zvi Bar (1989–2013) Yisrael Zinger (2013–present)