Education
Born in Vilnius in the Russian Empire, Sheftel was educated in a heder, yeshiva and high school in his home city, before attending a Teachers Seminary, after which he worked as a teacher in the Tarbut school system in Vilnius.
journalist politician Knesset member
Born in Vilnius in the Russian Empire, Sheftel was educated in a heder, yeshiva and high school in his home city, before attending a Teachers Seminary, after which he worked as a teacher in the Tarbut school system in Vilnius.
In 1925 he joined Poale Zion. In 1943 he was involved in organising an uprising in the Ghetto. He was later moved to concentrations camps in Estonia and other countries.
After World World War II ended, he was involved in helping organise Jews in Poland, and between 1946 and 1947 edited a Yiddish language newspaper.
In 1947 he made aliyah to Mandatory Palestine. In 1949 he was elected to the first Knesset.
However, he resigned from it on 12 February 1951, and was replaced by Yisrael Yeshayahu. He was also secretary of the Rishon LeZion Workers Council, and a mayor of the city for three separate terms - 1951, 1960 to 1962 and 1965 until 1969.
He died in 1980.
In 1921 he joined the Borochov Zionist Youth Movement, and was also a member of HeHalutz.