Religious Zionism suffered a great loss on Tuesday when former Knesset member Rabbi Hanan Porat, one of the founders of Gush Emunim ["Bloc of the Faithful," a religious movement dedicated to establishing Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria], passed away on Tuesday at his home in Kfar Etzion following a prolonged battle with cancer. He was 67. Porat was a prominent Knesset member and right-wing activist until his retirement in 1999. In recent years he led the protest movement against the disengagement from Gaza. In a statement on Tuesday, the Yesha Council [the council of the Jewish communities of Judea, Samaria and Gaza] said, "Hanan Porat, in his person and spirit, embodied the best of Zionism: the connection to our sacred texts, the settlement of the Land of Israel. He also encouraged aliyah and integrating the dispersed of Israel and worked in the Knesset to advance the nation's security." Porat attended the Mercaz Harav Yeshiva in Jerusalem. He served in the Paratroopers Brigade, fighting in the Six Day War and Yom Kippur War, sustaining serious wounds at the Suez Canal. When Gush Emunim was established in 1974, Porat was among its founders. He took part in, among other things, the establishment of Elon Moreh [an early settlement] and the ascent to Sebastia [a defining event in the settlement movement].
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For many years Porat represented the National Religious Party, but when Israel signed the peace treaty with Egypt in 1979 he formed an alliance with politician Geula Cohen, forming the Tehiya party in 1983. He served in the Knesset for 14 years and among other duties chaired the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee.
After his retirement, Porat taught at the Herzog College in Gush Etzion, at the Beit Orot Yeshiva in Jerusalem and at the Ma'aleh Adumim Hesder yeshiva. In addition, he was active in efforts to bring religious and secular Israelis closer together.
"The Knesset bows their heads in sorrow, along with the family, acquaintances, friends and students of the late Rabbi Hanan Porat -- an ardent Zionist, consummate parliamentarian and faithful builder of the Land of Israel," Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin said on Tuesday. "Rabbi Porat was a man of vision and deeds who grabbed hold of the command to live despite great sufferings."
"Porat was an old-time paratrooper, a founder of Gush Emunim, and everything he did was done with enormous inner passion, integrity and dedication," said Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Tuesday. "He was a faithful son of his land, a true lover of Israel and throughout his life built bridges between religious and secular, Right and Left."
Israel's Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger recalled: "When I was a young student at Yeshivat Kerem B'Yavneh the old-timers would tell the story of Hanan, a former student, who during the Ten Days of Repentance would disappear from the yeshiva. One day they found him secluding himself in the sand dunes of Ashdod, communing with the Creator. He was a humble man, affable and well-liked by his fellows."
Israel's chief Sephardi rabbi, Rabbi Shlomo Amar, said on Tuesday, "When such a precious rock is uprooted from the scenery of our lives, it is a great loss. Rabbi Hanan earned a good name in every part of the nation, and this is no small achievement."
Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, head of Ateret Cohanim Yeshiva and one of the rabbis at Machon Meir Yeshiva said, "Machon Meir, its rabbis and directors express their deep sorrow over the ascent to heaven of a great and wise Torah scholar of the Land of Israel."
Porat's funeral was held at 11 a.m. Wednesday in Kfar Etzion.
