Bernstein was born Shlomo Fritz Bernstein in
Meiningen in the
German Empire. He moved to the
Netherlands before
World War I, where he worked in the
grain trade. Bernstein also stood as a candidate in the Knesset's
election for president in 1952, but withdrew after the second round of voting, having come a distant second to eventual winner
Yitzhak Ben-Zvi. Bernstein returned to the
Knesset following the elections of 1955 and 1959, but did not regain his cabinet position. In 1961 the General Zionists merged with the
Progressive Party to form the
Liberal Party and Bernstein was elected one of its two presidents. He was re-elected to the Knesset later that year and oversaw the alliance with
Menachem Begin's
Herut to form
Gahal. In 1963, he
ran again for president, but lost by 67–33 to
Zalman Shazar. Bernstein lost his seat in the
1965 elections and died in 1971. ==Bibliography==