David Horowitz

David Horowitz was born in 1899 in Drohobych

David Horowitz was born in 1899 in Drohobych, in Galicia, then part of Austria and now in Ukraine. His father Zygmunt was a merchant. During World War I his family fled to Vienna, and he studied at gymnasiums in Vienna and Lviv.

He was among the founders of the Hashomer Hatzair movement and immigrated to the Land of Israel in 1920. He helped found Kibbutz Beit Alfa and later joined the Labor Battalion in Jerusalem, serving as its general secretary. He taught himself economics during these years.

After working in journalism, he became an economic adviser in 1932. He headed the Economic Department of the Jewish Agency from 1935 to 1948 and was part of its delegation to the United Nations in 1947. From 1948 to 1952 he was the first Director General of the Ministry of Finance.

In 1954 he became the first Governor of the Bank of Israel and held the post until 1971. He also chaired a public committee on civil service wages in 1963. He wrote several books on economics.

After retiring in 1971 he chaired the advisory council and committee of the Bank of Israel, later as honorary chairman. He received the Israel Prize in 1968. He died on 10 August 1979 and was buried in Sanhedria cemetery.