Shitrit, Beḥor Shalom

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SHITRIT, BEḤOR SHALOM

SHITRIT, BEḤOR SHALOM (1895–1967), Israeli Sephardi leader. In his youth he came in contact with Second Aliyah pioneers near Tiberias. After the British occupation of Palestine he was one of the organizers of the police force in his native Tiberias and was appointed commander of the police in Lower Galilee. After training in the Police Officers' School, he worked in the department of criminal investigation in several towns. In 1933 he investigated the case of Chaim *Arlosoroff's murder. From 1935 until 1948 he served as magistrate in several towns. With the establishment of the State of Israel (1948), Shitrit became a member of the government, first as representative of the Sephardi and Oriental communities, holding the post of minister of police and minorities. Later he became a member of the Knesset for *Mapai and served as minister of police almost until his death. In organizing and developing the Israel police, he benefited from his broad experience in the police force and in court, as well as from his thorough knowledge of all the ethnic groups in Israel, their languages, and their customs.

bibliography:

Tidhar, 1 (1947), 525–6; 13 (1963), 436.

[Yehuda Slutsky]

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