Meir Dizengoff

Meir Dizengoff (Hebrew מאיר דיזנגוף, Russian Меер Янкелевич Дизенгоф, also: Meir Diesengoff; born February 25, 1861 in Bessarabia, † September 23, 1936 in Tel Aviv) was an engineer and businessman and co-founder and first and long-time mayor of Tel Aviv.

Life

In 1892 he founded a funded by Baron Rothschild, but unsuccessful glass factory in Palestine. He returned to Russia and was after the appearance of Herzl supporters of Zionism.

Since 1905 he was again in Palestine and has been the construction of Achuzat Bayit at Jaffa, the nucleus of Tel Aviv, one of the founders of the city, with whom he had big plans to be the largest city and cultural center of the Yishuv you should. Between 1931 and 1938, the population rose in Tel Aviv from 46 000 to 150 000 inhabitants. After Dizengoff one of the biggest streets of Tel Aviv is named.

After Tel Aviv was declared a town in 1921, he was from 1921 ( de facto chairman of the local council since 1911 ) until his death ( with an interruption from 1925 to 1928 ) its mayor.

( Was in the proclaimed Israel's independence in 1948 ) His house on Rothschild Boulevard and Dizengoff donated his entire estate, which was founded by him in 1931 Tel -Aviv Museum. - Since 1937, the city of Tel Aviv, named after its founder and first mayor " Dizengoff Prize" is awarded to painter and sculptor ( = "The Dizengoff Prize for Painting and Sculpture " ) ..