Koenig, Dr. Emanuel

The only son of Shoshana-Rosa (the daughter of Yehuda-Leib Henkin, one of the pioneers of Bilu and the first generation of immigration to Eretz Israel) and Alexander (a family of Jewish industrialists in Germany) was born on 29.6.1913 in Frankfurt, Germany. From childhood he was gifted with healthy intelligence, perception and impression, with human love and goodwill, and was considered a good friend, whose opinion deserved to be heard. He grew up in a semi-Israeli home (because his mother was a native of Israel) and after his first visit to Israel, at the age of 12, he began to learn Hebrew. Out of a sense of partnership in the spirit and future of living with the pioneering public in Israel, he joined the pioneering youth movement “Tchelet Lavan” (Blau-Weiss) and played key roles in it throughout his years in Germany. In 1932, he completed his studies at the Gymnasium in Berlin and continued to study for two semesters in economic engineering at the high-tech school and gained practical experience at the Siemens Schockert electrical appliances. When the Nazis came to power, thanks to a friend’s warning, he succeeded in escaping in time and continued his studies in jurisprudence and political science at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, where he was an active member of the Zionist Union of Students. In the meantime, his parents immigrated to Israel, and when he visited them from the end of 1934 until September 1935 he studied Hebrew, literature, history and philosophy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, studied the economic and social conditions and joined the ranks of the Haganah. He returned to continue his studies in Switzerland and when the bloody riots of 1936-1939 wanted to rush to Israel and contribute his part to the defense of the Yishuv, he accepted the efforts of his friends and teachers, whose contribution to the country would be greater if he continued his scientific training. In 1939, he was awarded a doctorate in political agriculture based on his book “Socialist Policy in Eretz Israel with Special Attention to Workers’ Protection”, published in German that year in Zurich and considered a basic book and study in economics and social work. Shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War, he came to Israel and published in his Hebrew and English the program of his uncle, Yehoshua Hankin, “Large-scale settlement programs based on economic foundations.” Commissioned by the Institute for Economic Research of the Jewish Agency, conducted studies on the economic and social status of the craftsmen. From September 1941 he served as economic advisor to the Potash Company and the Jordan Company affiliated with it, to investigate natural resources in Israel and as secretary of the “Palestine Council” (the Association of Large Industries). He also served as Honorary Secretary of the Palestine Economic Society and the Association of Economists and participated in various public bodies, including a government committee. For years he lectured at the School of Social Work and at the Seminary of the Histadrut. His economic articles in the daily and professional press excelled in clarity, depth of thought, professional knowledge and foresight. Emanuel also studied Arabic and statistics. He was not only recognized as a practical scientist but also a general affection. During that period he married. In the winter of 1948, with the preparation of the apparatus for the future government of Israel, his interest was focused on key positions in two ministries, but first of all he worked to protect the Yishuv, At the beginning of May 1948, he was transferred to Hayam, and on May 15, 1948, when he was sent to the post of lieutenant colonel for a front position he was seriously injured and after several hours died. He was buried in Sheikh Bader A. He left a wife and his estate with important connections to economic problems On the 28th of Elul 5710 (10.9.1950) he was transferred to eternal rest in Beit Hakav Ruth in Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.