The Battle for the Vote: When Women’s Suffrage Almost Tore the Jewish Yishuv Apart

Nir Topper
10 hours ago
3 min read

April 19, 1920 (1st of Iyar, 5680) marks one of the most significant moments in the crystallization of the political system of the Jewish Yishuv (the Jewish community in pre-state Israel): the first elections for the Assembly of Representatives (Assefat HaNivcharim). These elections were a profound expression of the national desire for autonomy on the eve of the official establishment of the British Mandate. They were the first general democratic elections held among the Jewish residents of the Land of Israel for a body that represented them exclusively. This stood in contrast to the Zionist Congress, a global body representing World Jewry, and the Constituent Assembly of 1918, which consisted of appointed representatives or those chosen from narrow circles rather than through open, democratic general elections.

The geopolitical reality of the time was fraught and complex. Palestine was transitioning from Ottoman rule to a British military administration (even before Britain received the formal Mandate). The elections took place on the very day the San Remo Conference opened—the conference that determined the fate of the region and granted the Mandate to Britain, incorporating the Balfour Declaration as a binding document under international law. All this occurred in the shadow of violent events: approximately seven weeks after the fall of Tel Hai and only two weeks after the 1920 Jerusalem riots (Meora'ot Tarpa). These events intensified the Yishuv's understanding of the urgent need for a representative political institution to unite its various factions.

The Assembly of Representatives was established as the supreme elected institution of "Knesset Yisrael"—the general representative organization of the Jews in the Land of Israel—serving as the autonomous framework intended to provide unified representation before the British authorities. From this Assembly, the "National Council" (Va’ad Leumi) was elected—the executive body that managed the Yishuv's daily affairs as a "state-in-the-making." This institutional structure, which also included the Chief Rabbinate Council and local communities, effectively created a "state within a state" and was the most prominent expression of elected Jewish self-rule in the Land of Israel.

One of the deepest ideological struggles accompanying the system was the fight for women’s suffrage. The "Union of Hebrew Women for Equal Rights in Eretz Israel," established in 1919, faced staunch opposition from the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) public and parts of the rabbinical leadership (such as Rabbi Kook), who viewed it as an affront to religious foundations. This dispute led the Haredim in Jerusalem to hold separate, men-only elections about two weeks after the general date, on May 3, 1920. However, by the third session of the first Assembly of Representatives, the principle of equality for men and women in elections was approved. In 1926, the second Assembly formally recognized full equal rights for women in all civil, political, and economic spheres of life.

The political map of 1920 was fragmented into 20 lists, representing fascinating paradoxes and a stormy political style. A notable example is the placement of Ze'ev Jabotinsky—who led the defense forces in Jerusalem—at the head of the "Ahdut HaAvoda" (Labor Unity) list as a sign of solidarity while he was detained by the British. He had been sentenced to 15 years of hard labor (later commuted to one year in prison) for his role in defending the city. On the other hand, figures like Meir Dizengoff expressed deep concern over a potential leftist takeover of the Yishuv. These debates laid the foundations for the bitter rivalries that would shape Israeli politics for decades to come.

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The first Assembly of Representatives, described as the "Mother of the Knesset," established the fundamental patterns of democracy in Israel—most notably the proportional representation system, which broadens the representation of various groups within the population. The ability to conduct a democratic process in the shadow of the 1920 riots and during a period of governmental uncertainty proved the Yishuv's national responsibility. It transformed the vision of the Balfour Declaration into a vision that one could—very cautiously—believe in.

Image 1: A member of the Ashkenazi community in Jerusalem is warned against participating in the "unclean elections" – a poster hung throughout Jerusalem.

Source: Central Zionist Archives (KRU\107). http://www.zionistarchives.org.il/ATTHECZA/Pages/Suffrage.aspx

Image 2: The City Council for the Ashkenazi Community warns against participating in elections that include women. Source: Central Zionist Archives (KRU\20895). http://www.zionistarchives.org.il/ATTHECZA/Pages/Suffrage.aspx

Image 3: Regulations of the Association of Hebrew Women for Equal Rights in Eretz Israel. "The delegates shall demand equality for Hebrew women in family, civil, political, and economic life, and women's participation in shaping the character of the homeland through their involvement in our national institutions." Source: Central Zionist Archives (J75\24). http://www.zionistarchives.org.il/ATTHECZA/Pages/Suffrage.aspx