Eliezer Shostak

Eliezer Shostak was born in 1911 in Volodymyrets

Shostak was born in 1911 in Volodymyrets, then in the Russian Empire and today in Ukraine. He studied at a Hebrew Tarbut school and later at several yeshivas. In 1930 he joined Betar, led its branch in Rovno and wrote for Yiddish and Betar newspapers.

In 1933 he married Mina Burko, a fellow Betar member. While his immigration permit was delayed, he served as a conscript in the Polish army. He moved to Mandatory Palestine in 1935, studied at the Hebrew University and joined the Betar work battalion in Herzliya.

In 1936 he was elected secretary of the National Workers Labour Federation, and he later sat in the leadership of Hatzohar. He entered the Knesset in 1951 for Herut, replacing Ya'akov Meridor. After opposing Begin's leadership in 1966, he and Shmuel Tamir formed the Free Centre, and he later founded the Independent Centre with Ehud Olmert.

From 1977 to 1984 he was Minister of Health under Begin and Shamir. In this role he banned private medical services in public hospitals. He then served as Deputy Speaker of the Knesset and lost his seat in 1988.

In 1994 he was named Yakir Ramat Gan. He died in 2001 and was buried in Nahalat Yitzhak cemetery. A square in Ramat Gan bears his name.