Joel Samuel Polack

Joel Samuel Polack ( born March 28, 1807 in London, † April 17, 1882 ) was the first Jewish settlers in New Zealand, who arrived there in 1831.

Life

Polack was born the son of Saloman and Sarah Polack in London. His father was a successful painter and engraver in Ireland and England, but was originally from Holland.

Polack worked for four years for the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom ( Commissariat and Ordnance ) in South Africa and Mauritius, before traveling to America. In 1830 he joined his brother Abraham in New South Wales.

In 1831 he came to New Zealand and settled in Hokianga. He explored the surrounding area and Poverty Bay and the East Cape. In 1832 he moved to Kororareka (now Russell) in the Bay of Islands to set up a successful department store. In 1835 he built New Zealand's first brewery. Due to Busby's poor administration in 1837, he signed the petition to the British government, which called for better protection and the Government of the European settlers.

In 1837 he returned to England and the following year was his memory that had been used against his will as a warehouse of explosives of the army, destroyed by an explosion. He fought unsuccessfully for compensation. In 1838 he advocated the planned colonization of New Zealand in the House of Lords. He believed that unorganized European immigration would destroy the Māori society.

Polack wrote two successful books about his experiences in New Zealand, which he also illustrated. These books provide valuable insights into the pre-colonial New Zealand.

1842 Polack returned to New Zealand, but his memory was destroyed again in 1845, as Kororareka sacked by the Hone Heke during the Flagstaff War. He moved to Auckland, the new capital, where he founded a department store, invested in shipping and benefited from trade with California. From 1845 to 1848 he was the deputy consul of the United States of America.

1850 Polack went to California and settled in San Francisco, where he married. He died on April 17, 1882 ( 28 Nisan 5642 ).

  • New Zealanders
  • Briton
  • English
  • Person (Judaism )
  • Born in 1807
  • Died in 1882
  • Man
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