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Prominent personages in the Jewish National Council over time. From left to right: Meir Dizengoff, David Yellin, Ze'ev Jabotinsky, Yitzhak Ben-Zvi, David Remez
economics, settlement and Aliya, with the Jewish National Council was given tasks that were considered secondary: Education, culture, health, religious services, justice, social work, handling of municipal bodies and sports. The two entities had working relations, but also tensions. One of the most important issues – education – was controlled until 1932 by the Jewish Agency, and then transferred to the Jewish National Council's responsibility.
At first, the Jewish National Council was headed by famous personages from the Yishuv such as Meir Dizengoff, David Yellin and Ze'ev Jabotinsky, but they were later replaced by people who represented parties and movements. The most famous of these was Izhak Ben-Zvi, who served as Chairman of the Jewish National Council for many years, and in the final three years of the Mandate Period as President of the Council. David Remez succeeded him as Chairman. The fact that both were from Mapai, the largest party that controlled the Jewish Agency, and that its chairman was David Ben-Gurion, also of Mapai, made it easier for these two entities to manage their relationship. The Jewish National Council secondary status worried and saddened many. Already from its early years, Berl Katznelson, one of the leaders of the labor movement, said of it:
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