Ruben Bierer

Ruben Bierer ( Dr. Rubin Bierer, often Reuben Bierer; * around 1835 in Lvov, † 1931 ) was an Austrian surgeon and Zionist. He was a doctor in Sofia and one of the first pioneers of Jewish nationalism in general and one of the first active Zionists in Galicia and Bulgaria, member of Choveve -Zion in Galicia, Austria and Bulgaria.

In 1867 he was co-founder in Lviv of the first Jewish political association Austria -Hungary, " Shomer Israel "; as an opponent of the Polish assimilation he managed a Jewish- Ruthenian electoral alliance for the Imperial Council elections of 1873; 1878 convening of the first Galician- Jewish community day; 1879 separation from the " Shomer Israel," who represented the assimilation to an increasing extent, and relocation for the purpose of medical studies in Vienna, where he also himself - tried to create a Jewish political association - - with Peretz Smolenskin " Ahawath Zion " ( Ahavat Zion, religiously oriented society for colonization in Palestine)

In 1882 he co-founded the Vienna Kadimah, 1883, he returned to Lviv, where establishment of the first Jewish national association of the Austrian East, " Mikra Kodesh ", and organization of the first " Maccabee Celebration ' Galicia.

1885 moved to Serbia, 1900 again Lviv, where he reactivated the " Shomer Israel " in Jewish- national sense, but so had little success, and he soon withdrew entirely from public life.

In 1880 he published The Culturmission in Jerusalem in Jewish national sense ( in the demand of Hebrew as the language of instruction as ever the demand for a Jewish national curriculum ).

Ruben Bierers son was Samuel Joseph ( Joshua ) Bierer, later Zionist leader in Bukovina.

Conceptual history " Zionism "

Undeniably Nathan Birnbaum coined the term " Zionism " (derived from "Zion", the name of the Jerusalem Temple Mount ) around 1890. But Birnbaum is not the creator of this term, the term was already in use, such as a letter says Ruben Bierers of 9 December 1888, the term " Zionist brother greeting "; " Zionist " is already found in 1877 in a Romanian written brochure (Annual Report of the Order "Zion" in Bucharest).