Shapiro, Ezra

Ezra Zelig Shapiro (1903-1977) was born in Volozhin, Poland, to Esther (Brudno) and Rabbi Osias Shapiro. He moved to Cleveland, Ohio, with his family in 1906 and was educated in the Cleveland Hebrew Schools. A Jewish community leader and internationally known Zionist figure, Shapiro was elected president of the Cleveland Zionist District in 1924. In 1934, he became chairman of the National Executive Committee of the Zionist Organization of America. He was national vice-president of United Israel Appeal (1955-1970) and a founder and first president (1957-1960) of the American League for Israel, becoming honorary president in 1960. Shapiro was a delegate to several World Zionist Congresses beginning in 1937, and was instrumental in drafting the Jerusalem Platform that defined the direction for Zionism following the creation of the state of Israel.

Shapiro held a deep interest in Jewish educational issues. He served as president of Cleveland Hebrew Schools (1939-1943) and the Bureau OF Jewish Education (1953-1956). From 1959-1966, he was vice-president of the American Association for Jewish Education.

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