Public lifeעקיבא אור

Aki Orr

Aki Orr was an Israeli writer and political activist who co-founded the anti-Zionist socialist group Matzpen in 1962.

1931 to 2013Co-founding MatzpenCriticism of ZionismAdvocacy of direct democracy

Born: 19 June 1931, Berlin
Died: 9 February 2013, Tnuvot
Occupation: political activist, writer
Party: Maki, Matzpen
Education: Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Founded: Matzpen (1962)

Aki Orr was born in 1931 in Berlin

Aki Orr was born Karl Sebastian Sonnenberg in Berlin in 1931. In 1934 his family left Germany for Mandatory Palestine, and he grew up in Tel Aviv. He was a competitive swimmer and won a youth title in the 200 m breaststroke.

After the navy he joined the merchant navy and took part in the seamen's strike of 1951. The strike drew him into politics, and he soon joined the Israeli Communist Party, Maki. In 1955 he moved to Jerusalem to study mathematics and physics at the Hebrew University.

In 1961 he wrote the book Peace, Peace, and there is no Peace with Moshe Machover. In 1962 he left Maki and co-founded Matzpen with Machover, Oded Pilavsky and Jeremy Kaplan. The group criticized Zionism and stayed on the margins of Israeli politics.

In 1964 he moved to London with his wife and daughter. There he joined the libertarian socialist group Solidarity in 1968 and became an advocate of direct democracy. He published The Un-Jewish State in 1984 and returned to Israel in 1990.