Sharef, Ze'ev

(1906-84)

   Born in Izvor Szeletin, Romania, Sharef became active in the Poalei Zion youth movement in Romania. He immigrated (see ALIYA) to Palestine in 1925 and subsequently held a series of official and semiofficial posts in support of the Zionist Movement and the Jewish community in Palestine. From 1943 to 1947, he served as secretary of the political department of the Jewish Agency. He then was charged by the Provisional Council of State with the task of preparing the administrative machinery essential for the functioning of the new state upon termination of the British mandate. From 1948 to 1957, he was secretary of the cabinet, and from 1957 to 1959, he served as director general of the prime minister's office. He held a number of other civil service positions and in 1965 was elected to the Knesset on the Labor-Alignment list. He held a number of cabinet portfolios in the late 1960s and early 1970s. His book Three Days describes the crucial events surrounding the termination of the British mandate and the proclamation of the state of Israel in May 1948.