Geulah Cohen

Geulah Cohen (; 25 December 1925 – 18 December 2019) was an Israeli politician, activist, and a former Lehi militant. She served in the Knesset from 1974 to 1992, first representing Likud, and then co-founding the nationalist Tehiya party in 1979. A recipient of the Israel Prize, Cohen was a prominent figure in right-wing Israeli politics until losing her parliamentary seat in 1992.

Life and career Geulah Cohen was born in Tel Aviv, Mandatory Palestine to a Mizrahi Jewish family of Yemenite, Moroccan and Turkish origin. She studied at the Levinsky Teachers Seminary, and earned a master's degree in Jewish Studies, Philosophy, Literature and Bible at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

In 1942 she joined the Irgun, and moved to Lehi the following year. As a radio announcer for the organization, she was arrested by British military authorities in 1946 while broadcasting in Tel Aviv. On 6 June 1946, she was sentenced to seven years in prison (the Encyclopaedia Judaica lists the sentence as 19 years) for possessing a wireless transmitter, pistols, revolvers, and ammunition. During sentencing she sang "Hatikvah" and was accompanied by 30 members of her family. Imprisoned in Bethlehem, she escaped in 1947. From 1961 to 1973, she wrote for the Israeli newspaper Maariv and served on its editorial board. During her career as a journalist, she visited Menachem Mendel Schneerson in New York, who encouraged her to focus on engaging with Israeli youth.

Cohen died on 18 December 2019, at the age of 93. She was buried at the Mount of Olives Jewish Cemetery in Jerusalem.

Political career In 1972, Cohen joined Menachem Begin's Herut party,

As an opponent of the Camp David Accords and the return of Sinai Peninsula to Egypt, Cohen was thrown out of the Knesset during Begin's presentation of the agreement.

Cohen retained her seat in the 1981 elections, and Tehiya joined Begin's coalition government.

Cohen lost her seat in the 1992 elections. She described herself as a "woman of violence" in the pursuit of political ends.

Awards and recognition In 2003, Cohen was awarded the Israel Prize for her lifetime achievements and special contribution to society and the State of Israel. In 2007, she received the Yakir Yerushalayim (Worthy Citizen of Jerusalem) award from the city of Jerusalem. In 2014, Cohen was honored as one of the torchbearers in the national Israeli Independence Day ceremony.

Published work Story of a Warrior (1961; Hebrew autobiography) (autobiography) Historical Meeting (1986) (Hebrew) Ein li koah lehiyot ayefa ("No Strength To Be Tired"; 2008)