Yehoshua Hankin

Yehoshua Hankin ( Hankin Yehoshua, Joshua Hankin, also: Chenkin; * 1864 in Kremenchug, Ukraine, † November 11, 1945 in Tel Aviv) was a Zionist pioneer. He was responsible for most and largest land purchases by the Zionist organization in Palestine.

In 1882 he came with his father to Palestine, and there was one of the founders of Rishon LeZion. His first major land purchase he -actuated 1890, where soon Rehovot was founded. The next year he bought the land for Hadera, he made ​​further purchases for settlements in Galilee, among others.

Accompanied by Hankin, Chaim Weizmann traveled in September 1907, this three weeks by Palestine and visited Jewish settlements. In the same year 1907, Turkey enacted a ban on land sales to Jews ( even if they were Ottoman citizens ), which remained in force until the revolution of the Young Turks in 1908.

1909 and then again in 1920 he bought a large part of the Jezreel Valley ( Merchawia, Tel Joseph, Nachalal etc. ), after he had already been negotiated since 1897 about it. In 1915 he was expelled by the Turkish authorities from Palestine, but was able to return in 1918. During his life, Yehoshua Hankin earned more than 600 000 dunams ( here: 1 dunam = 1000 square meters ) land in Palestine.

He died in Tel Aviv and was buried at Mount Gilboa.