Samuel Mohilever

Samuel Mohilever (also: Shmuel / Shmuel Mohilever / Mohilever; * on 25 April 1824 in the vicinity of Vilna, † June 10, 1898 in Białystok ) was a Polish rabbi, founder of Rehovot, one of the founders of Choveve Zion and the real founder of religious Zionism.

Life and work

Early life, working as a rabbi

Samuel Mohilever came from a family of rabbis and became rabbis. He received his ordination in 1842 in the Volozhin yeshiva in Belarus and served until his death as a rabbi at different locations ( Hluboka 1848-1856, Szaki 1856-1860, Suwalki 1860-1868, 1868-1883 Radom, Bialystok 1883-1898 ).

He was driven by the idea to locate the greatest possible number of Jews in Palestine, and was therefore an early member of the Russia in forming Pales tino hydrophilic circles, then founder of the foot attributable to the Jewish religious Zionism. His mission in life should be to justify the mass settlement of Jews in Palestine, religion and conform to promote.

Sponsors of the Jewish colonization of Palestine

In 1870 he was one of the rabbis who met with leaders of the Maskilim to harmonize the conflicting positions. 1875, on the occasion of the celebration of the 90th birthday of Sir Moses Montefiore, he already declared himself publicly as a supporter of Jewish colonization of Palestine. In 1882 he founded the first Choveve Zion grouping in Warsaw and took - then again 1886 - travel to Europe in order to gain more followers for the movement.

Mohilever took - supported by Zadoc Kahn (1839-1905 and since 1889, the Chief Rabbi of France ) and M. Erlanger in Paris - influence on Baron Rothschild, the early settlements in Eretz Israel who faced financial ruin to support. This is especially true for Ekron (now Kiryat Ekron ), the Jewish farmers from Russia should provide a new home. He continued to agitate among the Jews in Bialystok - where he was rabbi since 1883 - to settle in Petach Tikvah. Mohilever appealed to the moral conscience of every Jew, " the honor of the nation to provide higher than personal advantage."

In 1890 he led a group of religious travel to inspect the colonies in the Holy Land. On this trip took part, among other things, a native of Białystok doctor Josef Chasanowitsch who, through his voluminous books dedication of 32,000 volumes laid the basis for the National Library of Jerusalem in 1896. Encouraged by the positive impressions on site, designed Mohilever 1893 the concept of a Merkaz Ruchani (Hebrew for: the spiritual center ), a spiritual center from which then the movement of religious Zionism, Mizrachi, emerged, which later mainly by Meir Bar Ilan was developed into a powerful organization and their successors until today play a significant role in the political landscape of the State of Israel.

Supporters of the religious Zionism

Mohilever was a member of the World Zionist Organization, and although he could not participate in Basel at the First Zionist Congress for health reasons, he was a leader of the Russian Zionists of great influence and had sent a message of greeting in Hebrew, peppered with practical advice.

His Zionist efforts were reinforced by the pogroms in Eastern Europe and Russia, he searched tirelessly a general awareness among the refugees, as well as among the possible donors to establish that the mass Jewish settlement in Palestine constitutes the solution to the Jewish question. With the help of wealthy Russian Zionists he could buy large land lots ( 1,556 acres) near Jaffa and became the founders of Rehovot (also Rehovot, Rehoboth ).

What began as Zion Hibbat, developed logically continue to Mizrachi movement, which in 1902 joined four years after Mohilevers death, the World Zionist Organization. As other religious leaders to Choveve Zion their support failed to Maskilim due to the contact, Mohilever took a different view: He encouraged Pinsker and Lilienblum who crowded Zion to a joining of forces of the numerous local groups of Choveve. This then led to Katowice Conference of 1884 (see at Max E. Mandelstam ), whose honorary president he was. He also chaired the conferences of 1887 and 1889.

Under aegis Mohilevers a rabbi committee was elected which should ensure an adaptation of religious rules to the concrete situation in the settlement of Eretz Israel. He allowed, for example, the Jewish farmers several times to work their land during the sabbatical year.

Mohilever and his followers ( among them Isaac Jacob Reines, for example ) continued their work, especially among Orthodox Jews, and so Mizrachi was the most important pillar of religious Zionism.

Late life

In recognition of his services a fruit garden was created on the occasion of his 70th birthday near Hadera, the Gan Shmuel was called. From this garden in 1913, the same kibbutz developed.

In his last letter he wrote to the Russian Jews one day before his death and is considered his legacy, he urged them to continue to struggle for a deeper understanding of the commandment to Palestine resettlement. This mitzvah was for him " the livelihood of our people ."

His grandson, Josef Mohilever, followed in the footsteps of his grandfather. He received a traditional Jewish and Zionist education, was also active Zionist and also a rabbi. He moved to Palestine in 1920 and became director of the teachers' college and a Hebrew Gymnasium in Jerusalem.