Israeli Communist Opposition

{{Short description|Political organization in Israel (1973–1975)}}

{{Infobox political party

| name = Israeli Communist Opposition

| native_name = אופוזיציה קומוניסטית ישראלית

| native_name_lang = he

| logo =

| colorcode = Red

| abbreviation = Aki ({{lang|he|אק"י}})

| founder = Esther Vilenska

| founded = {{start date|1973}}

| dissolved = {{end date|1975}}

| split = Maki

| ideology = Communism

| position =

| newspaper = {{ubl|Hedim ({{lang|he|הדים}}, 'Echoes')|Undzer shtime ({{lang|yi|אונדזער שטימע}}, 'Our Voice')}}

| country = Israel

}}

The Israeli Communist Opposition ({{langx|he|אופוזיציה קומוניסטית ישראלית}}, Opozitzia Komunistit Yisra'elit), commonly known by its Hebrew acronym Aki ({{lang|he|אק"י}}), was a small communist organization in Israel. The group was founded in 1973 by former Knesset member Esther Vilenska after she left Maki.{{cite book |author1=Richard Felix Staar |author2=Milorad M. Drachkovitch |author3=Lewis H. Gann |title=Yearbook on International Communist Affairs |series=Yearbook on International Communist Affairs |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MfIDAQAAIAAJ |year=1974 |publisher=Hoover Institution Press |page=248}}

Vilenska had emerged in the spring of 1972 as a leading voice against the Maki leadership, accusing it of 'right-wing deviations'.{{cite book |title=Midstream; a monthly Jewish review, Vol. 24 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cx1PAQAAIAAJ |year=1978 |publisher=Theodor Herzl Foundation |page=34}} Vilenska and her followers argued that the alliance should include more radical forces, such as Uri Avnery's Meri. When Meri was not included in the alliance, Vilenska's group participated in the Meri list in the 1973 Knesset election. In the end, the Maki Central Committee expelled her and her associates from the party. Aki was formed by her followers, and was labelled a "splitting, neo-Rakahist tendency" by Maki.{{cite book |author=Peretz Merhav |title=The Israeli Left: History, Problems, Documents |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w1eOAAAAMAAJ |year=1980 |publisher=A. S. Barnes |isbn=978-0-498-02184-8 |page=76}}

Aki had a predominantly Jewish membership.{{cite book |author=United States. Central Intelligence Agency |title=National Basic Intelligence Factbook |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=97U3AQAAMAAJ |year=1977 |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |page=102}} The group opposed both Maki and Rakah.{{cite book |author=Alain Greilsammer |title=Les communistes israéliens |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=838FAQAAIAAJ |year=1978 |publisher=Presses de la Fondation nationale des sciences politiques |isbn=978-2-7246-0403-0 |page=301}} The organization published the monthly Hedim ({{lang|he|הדים}}, 'Echoes') in Hebrew from Tel Aviv, with Vilenska as its editor between 1974 and 1975.{{cite book |author1=Milorad M. Drachkovitch|author2=Lewis H. Gann |title=Yearbook on International Communist Affairs |series=Yearbook on International Communist Affairs |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c80KAAAAIAAJ |year=1976 |publisher=Hoover Institution Press |page=549|isbn=9780817966010 }} It also issued a Yiddish publication, Undzer shtime ({{lang|yi|אונדזער שטימע}}, 'Our Voice').WorldCat. [https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/8518282 Undzer shṭime = Our voice]

Ahead of the elections to the 12th congress of Histadrut, Aki formed a joint list with the Blue-Red Movement and HaOlam HaZeh.

In 1975, former general secretary of Maki Shmuel Mikunis resigned from that party in protest at its merger process with Moked, and joined Aki instead. Aki held a national conference on 5 July 1975, with around a hundred participants; Vilenska and Mikunis led the meeting. The conference elaborated a programme for the organization.{{cite book |title=Jewish Currents, Vol. 29 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2qltAAAAMAAJ |year=1975 |publisher=Jewish Currents |page=15}} Vilenska died on November 9, 1975.{{cite book |title=Jewish Currents, Vol. 30 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1aptAAAAMAAJ |year=1976 |publisher=Jewish Currents |page=15}}