Avraham Shapira; Ultra-Orthodox Israeli Lawmaker

Avraham Shapira, 79, an ultra-Orthodox Israeli lawmaker known for his masterly political skills. Shapira was elected to Israel’s parliament in 1981 and chaired the powerful Finance Committee for four years. He was considered the first ultra-Orthodox politician to successfully penetrate the secular corridors of Israeli politics. He was an architect of the 1984-90 national unity governments that united Israel’s two main opposing parties in a successful effort to pull the country out of its worst economic crisis. The rabbi-turned-politician headed the parliamentary faction of the Agudat Yisrael Party, a precursor to today’s United Torah Judaism Party. His personal influence was greater than his party’s representation, which was never more than five legislators out of 120. Jovial and rotund, Shapira adapted quickly and easily to Israel’s backslapping, meal-intensive political culture. One of his proudest achievements was the ultimately successful battle to ban importing pork into the Jewish state. Born in Romania, Shapira immigrated to Israel in 1949. On Monday in Jerusalem of diabetes and kidney disease.