Moshe Unna

Moshe Unna was born in 1902 in Mannheim

Unna was born in Mannheim, Germany, in 1902. His father was Rabbi Dr. Yitzhak Unna. He studied at an agricultural college and at the rabbinical seminary in Berlin, and earned a diploma in agronomy.

He was active in the Blau Weiss youth movement. In 1924 he helped found and then managed the first Mizrachi agricultural training farm in Germany. He moved to Mandatory Palestine in 1927 and worked in orchards, returning to Germany as an emissary in 1931 and 1933.

He was a founder of the Religious Kibbutz Movement and served on its secretariat until 1974. In 1937 he helped found Kibbutz Tirat Zvi, and in 1944 he joined Sde Eliyahu. He was active in Youth Aliyah and sat in the Assembly of Representatives and the Jewish National Council.

Unna entered the first Knesset in 1949 and kept his seat until 1969, representing the United Religious Front, Hapoel HaMizrachi and the National Religious Party. He served as Deputy Minister of Education and Culture between 1956 and 1958. In 1956 he became the first Knesset member to pass a private member's bill.

He was a leader of the Lamifne faction and held dovish views. In 1988 he left the National Religious Party and joined Meimad. He died in 1989.