Meir David Loewenstein


Meir David Loewenstein was an Israeli politician and one of the signatories of the Israeli declaration of independence.

Biography

Born in Copenhagen in Denmark in 1904, Loewenstein studied at a business school in Switzerland and a rabbinical seminary in Amsterdam, Netherlands. During his youth he became involved in the European Agudat Yisrael youth movement, of which he later became chairman.
After immigrating to Mandatory Palestine in 1934, he remained active in Agudat Yisrael. As a prominent member of the organisation, Loewenstein became a member of Moetzet HaAm, and signed Israel's declaration of independence in 1948. However, he later claimed:
He was elected to the Knesset in the country's first elections in 1949 as a member of the United Religious Front, an alliance of the four major religious parties. However, he lost his seat in the 1951 elections.
Loewenstein rejected the idea of a constitution for Israel, stating that:
In 1972, Loewenstein became chairman of the Committee for Spiritual Salvation. He died in 1995.