Meir Dizengoff (1861-1936), a founder and first mayor of Tel Aviv, born in the village of Akimovici in Bessarabia, Moldva (then part of the Russian Empire). When he was 17 years old his family moved to Kishinev, Moldova, where he completed high school. In 1882 he volunteered for two years service in the Imperial Russian Army after which he lived in Odessa where he met Leon Pinsker, Ahad Ha'am and joined the Hovevei Zion movement. However, he was also arrested and imprisoned for being involved with the Narodnaya Volya terrorist movement. After his release from prison he returned to Kishinev where he founded a branch of Hovevei Zion.
In 1889 Dizengoff went to Paris, France, to study chemical engineering and specialized in glass production. In 1892 Edmond de Rothschild sent him to Palestine to open a glass factory in Tantura. The company failed because Palestine sand was not suitable. Dizengoff went back to Kishinev, but with renewed Zionist enthusiasm he returned to Palestine in 1905, settled in Jaffa and founded a company which bought land for settlement by Jews. He became involved in other economic enterprises. When Dizengoff learned that residents were organizing to build a new neighborhood, Tel Aviv, he formed a partnership with the Ahuzat Bayit company and bought land on the outskirts of Jaffa, which was parceled out to the early settlers by lot. Dizengoff became head of the town planning department in 1911, a position that he held until 1922, and when Tel Aviv was recognized as a city, Dizengoff was elected mayor. He remained in office until his death, apart from a three-year gap in 1925-1928.
During World War I, the Ottomans drove out a large part of the Jewish population and Dizengoff headed a committee to assist the exiles. In this position he dealt with aid to be sent to the exiles of Tel Aviv and received the nickname of Reish Galuta ["Head of the Dispersion", in Aramaic.]
He publicised their plight, mainly via newspapers, and succeeded in convincing the rulers to agree to a regular supply of food and provisions. In response the Turks expelled him to Damascus where he remained until the British conquered the north of Palestine in 1918.
Many committees and associations came into being during Dizengoff's term as mayor. One was the "Yerid HaMizrah" ("Orient Fair") committee, founded in 1932, which organized its first fair that year. Initially, the fair was held in the south of the city, but after its great success, a fairground with designated buildings was built in north Tel Aviv. A large international fair was held in 1934, followed by a second fair two years later. Dizengoff was consequently involved with the development of the city, and encouraged its rapid expansion—carrying out daily inspections, and paying attention to details such as entertainment. He was always present at the head of the Adloyada, the annual Purim carnival. After his wife's death, he donated his house to the city of Tel Aviv, for use as an art museum, and he influenced many important artists to donate their work to improve the museum. In 1936, with the outbreak of the Arab revolt, the Arabs closed the port of Jaffa with the intention of halting the rapid expansion of Jewish settlements in Israel. Dizengoff pressured the government to give him permission to open a port in his new city of Tel Aviv, and before his death he managed to dedicate the first pier of Tel Aviv's new port. He urged that government offices be opened in Tel Aviv.
Dinzengoff was a member of the Zionist executive between 1927 and 1929 and ran its trade and industry department. His memoirs, "Im Tel Aviv ha-Golah" were published in 1931.
זיידל רובנר (1856 - 1943), חזן, מלחין ומנצח. נולד בראדומישל, אוקראינה (אז חלק מאימפריה רוסית), ושמו יעקב שמואל מורוגובסקי. בצעירותו היה סוחר ובו בזמן עוזר לרב טברסקי במאקארוב. אחר כך היה, במשך חמש שנים, חזן בקייב, ושם למד מוסיקה אצל הכנר פודהוזר. בשנים 1914-1881 כיהן כחזן בקהילות של זסלאבל (Zaslavl), רובנו (מכאן שמו), קישינב, ברדיצ'ב, לונדון, לבוב ושוב רובנו. ב-1914 הגיע לארה"ב.
הלחין תפילות לחזן, למקהלה ולתזמורת, וביניהן תתברך (1874), הללויה לתזמורת (1897), אהבתי לתזמורת (1899) וקינות (1922). נפטר בארה"ב.
Chaim Zanvl Abramowitz, “The Ribnitzer Rebbe” (1902-1995), rabbi and Hassidic tzadik, born in Botosani, Romania. He was educated at the Tsirelson yeshiva in Kishinev (now Chisinau, in Moldova) and was ordained a rabbi by Rabbi Yehuda Leib Tsirelson (1959-1941). He served as a rabbi in various towns in Bessarabia region of Romania (now Moldova), particularly in Rezina (also known as Rezina-Târg). During the Holocaust he was deported to Transnistria, to the Rybnitza ghetto. After WW2 he choose to stay in Rybnitza, who became part of the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic of USSR (now in Transnistria region of Moldova). He conducted a strict religious life and was regarded as a holy man, a pure saint, who dedicated his life to observing the mitzvoth and maintaining Jewish education for children even during the anti-religious and anti-Jewish persecutions of the Stalinist era. He gained fame as a miracle worker among the Jewish and non-Jewish population. He received thousands of visitors annually, mostly from among the Jews of Moldova and Ukraine. He also served as a mohel, shochet and hazzan (cantor).
He immigrated to Israel in 1970 living for a number of years in Kiryat Mattersdorf neighborhood in Jerusalem. He moved to United States, where he lived in Miami, Los Angeles, Brooklyn and finaly in Monsey, NY. He founded two Rybnitza synagogues, in Monsey and in Borough Park, Brooklyn. His tomb in the Vizhnitzer cemetery serves as a pilgrimage site for tens of thousands of devout Jews.
Moldova
Republica Moldova - Republic of Moldova
A country in eastern Europe, it covers most territory of the historic region of Bessarabia, part of Soviet Union until 1991, it was part of Romania between the two World Wars and of the Russian Empire until 1918.
21st Century
Estimated Jewish population in 2018: 2,000 out of 3,500,000. There were 12 municipal organizations and 9 regional communities in the cities of Balti, Soroca, Orhei, Cahul, Ribnita, Dubasari, Bender, Tiraspol, Grigoriopol. Main umbrella Jewish organization:
Jewish Community of the Republic of Moldova
Phone: 373(22)509689
Email: office@jcm.md
Website: https://www.jcm.md/en
Bessarabia
Romanian: Basarabia; Russian: Бессарабия; Yiddish: בעסאראביע
A historical region in Eastern Europe. Until 1812 was part of the Principality of Moldavia. It was annexed by the Russian Empire in 1812 until 1918 when it was incorporated into Romania. It was occupied by the Soviet Union in 1940. During WW2 it was captured by the German and Romanian armies from 1941 until 1944, when it was again occupied by the Soviet Union. Most of the territory of Bessarabia was incorporated into the Moldovian Soviet Socialist Republic one of the 15 republics of the Soviet Union which existed from 1940 to 1991, while the southern districts were annexed to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. After 1991 the Moldovian Soviet Socialist Republic gained independence as the Republic of Moldova. The southern district are part of Ukraine.
Romania
România
A country in eastern Europe, member of the European Union (EU)
21st Century
Estimated Jewish population in 2018: 9,000 out of 19,500,000. Before the Holocaust Romania was home to the second largest Jewish community in Europe, and the fourth largest in the world, after USSR, USA, and Poland. Main Jewish organization:
Federaţia Comunităţilor Evreieşti Din România - Federation of Jewish Communities in Romania
Str. Sf. Vineri nr. 9-11 sector 3, Bucuresti, Romania
Phone: 021-315.50.90
Fax: 021-313.10.28
Email: secretariat@fcer.ro
Website: www.jewishfed.ro
Romania
România
A country in eastern Europe, member of the European Union (EU)
21st Century
Estimated Jewish population in 2018: 9,000 out of 19,500,000. Before the Holocaust Romania was home to the second largest Jewish community in Europe, and the fourth largest in the world, after USSR, USA, and Poland. Main Jewish organization:
Federaţia Comunităţilor Evreieşti Din România - Federation of Jewish Communities in Romania
Str. Sf. Vineri nr. 9-11 sector 3, Bucuresti, Romania
Phone: 021-315.50.90
Fax: 021-313.10.28
Email: secretariat@fcer.ro
Website: www.jewishfed.ro
Bessarabia
Romanian: Basarabia; Russian: Бессарабия; Yiddish: בעסאראביע
A historical region in Eastern Europe. Until 1812 was part of the Principality of Moldavia. It was annexed by the Russian Empire in 1812 until 1918 when it was incorporated into Romania. It was occupied by the Soviet Union in 1940. During WW2 it was captured by the German and Romanian armies from 1941 until 1944, when it was again occupied by the Soviet Union. Most of the territory of Bessarabia was incorporated into the Moldovian Soviet Socialist Republic one of the 15 republics of the Soviet Union which existed from 1940 to 1991, while the southern districts were annexed to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. After 1991 the Moldovian Soviet Socialist Republic gained independence as the Republic of Moldova. The southern district are part of Ukraine.
Moldova
Republica Moldova - Republic of Moldova
A country in eastern Europe, it covers most territory of the historic region of Bessarabia, part of Soviet Union until 1991, it was part of Romania between the two World Wars and of the Russian Empire until 1918.
21st Century
Estimated Jewish population in 2018: 2,000 out of 3,500,000. There were 12 municipal organizations and 9 regional communities in the cities of Balti, Soroca, Orhei, Cahul, Ribnita, Dubasari, Bender, Tiraspol, Grigoriopol. Main umbrella Jewish organization:
Jewish Community of the Republic of Moldova
Phone: 373(22)509689
Email: office@jcm.md
Website: https://www.jcm.md/en
Chaim Zanvl Abramowitz, “The Ribnitzer Rebbe” (1902-1995), rabbi and Hassidic tzadik, born in Botosani, Romania. He was educated at the Tsirelson yeshiva in Kishinev (now Chisinau, in Moldova) and was ordained a rabbi by Rabbi Yehuda Leib Tsirelson (1959-1941). He served as a rabbi in various towns in Bessarabia region of Romania (now Moldova), particularly in Rezina (also known as Rezina-Târg). During the Holocaust he was deported to Transnistria, to the Rybnitza ghetto. After WW2 he choose to stay in Rybnitza, who became part of the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic of USSR (now in Transnistria region of Moldova). He conducted a strict religious life and was regarded as a holy man, a pure saint, who dedicated his life to observing the mitzvoth and maintaining Jewish education for children even during the anti-religious and anti-Jewish persecutions of the Stalinist era. He gained fame as a miracle worker among the Jewish and non-Jewish population. He received thousands of visitors annually, mostly from among the Jews of Moldova and Ukraine. He also served as a mohel, shochet and hazzan (cantor).
He immigrated to Israel in 1970 living for a number of years in Kiryat Mattersdorf neighborhood in Jerusalem. He moved to United States, where he lived in Miami, Los Angeles, Brooklyn and finaly in Monsey, NY. He founded two Rybnitza synagogues, in Monsey and in Borough Park, Brooklyn. His tomb in the Vizhnitzer cemetery serves as a pilgrimage site for tens of thousands of devout Jews.
זיידל רובנר (1856 - 1943), חזן, מלחין ומנצח. נולד בראדומישל, אוקראינה (אז חלק מאימפריה רוסית), ושמו יעקב שמואל מורוגובסקי. בצעירותו היה סוחר ובו בזמן עוזר לרב טברסקי במאקארוב. אחר כך היה, במשך חמש שנים, חזן בקייב, ושם למד מוסיקה אצל הכנר פודהוזר. בשנים 1914-1881 כיהן כחזן בקהילות של זסלאבל (Zaslavl), רובנו (מכאן שמו), קישינב, ברדיצ'ב, לונדון, לבוב ושוב רובנו. ב-1914 הגיע לארה"ב.
הלחין תפילות לחזן, למקהלה ולתזמורת, וביניהן תתברך (1874), הללויה לתזמורת (1897), אהבתי לתזמורת (1899) וקינות (1922). נפטר בארה"ב.
Meir Dizengoff (1861-1936), a founder and first mayor of Tel Aviv, born in the village of Akimovici in Bessarabia, Moldva (then part of the Russian Empire). When he was 17 years old his family moved to Kishinev, Moldova, where he completed high school. In 1882 he volunteered for two years service in the Imperial Russian Army after which he lived in Odessa where he met Leon Pinsker, Ahad Ha'am and joined the Hovevei Zion movement. However, he was also arrested and imprisoned for being involved with the Narodnaya Volya terrorist movement. After his release from prison he returned to Kishinev where he founded a branch of Hovevei Zion.
In 1889 Dizengoff went to Paris, France, to study chemical engineering and specialized in glass production. In 1892 Edmond de Rothschild sent him to Palestine to open a glass factory in Tantura. The company failed because Palestine sand was not suitable. Dizengoff went back to Kishinev, but with renewed Zionist enthusiasm he returned to Palestine in 1905, settled in Jaffa and founded a company which bought land for settlement by Jews. He became involved in other economic enterprises. When Dizengoff learned that residents were organizing to build a new neighborhood, Tel Aviv, he formed a partnership with the Ahuzat Bayit company and bought land on the outskirts of Jaffa, which was parceled out to the early settlers by lot. Dizengoff became head of the town planning department in 1911, a position that he held until 1922, and when Tel Aviv was recognized as a city, Dizengoff was elected mayor. He remained in office until his death, apart from a three-year gap in 1925-1928.
During World War I, the Ottomans drove out a large part of the Jewish population and Dizengoff headed a committee to assist the exiles. In this position he dealt with aid to be sent to the exiles of Tel Aviv and received the nickname of Reish Galuta ["Head of the Dispersion", in Aramaic.]
He publicised their plight, mainly via newspapers, and succeeded in convincing the rulers to agree to a regular supply of food and provisions. In response the Turks expelled him to Damascus where he remained until the British conquered the north of Palestine in 1918.
Many committees and associations came into being during Dizengoff's term as mayor. One was the "Yerid HaMizrah" ("Orient Fair") committee, founded in 1932, which organized its first fair that year. Initially, the fair was held in the south of the city, but after its great success, a fairground with designated buildings was built in north Tel Aviv. A large international fair was held in 1934, followed by a second fair two years later. Dizengoff was consequently involved with the development of the city, and encouraged its rapid expansion—carrying out daily inspections, and paying attention to details such as entertainment. He was always present at the head of the Adloyada, the annual Purim carnival. After his wife's death, he donated his house to the city of Tel Aviv, for use as an art museum, and he influenced many important artists to donate their work to improve the museum. In 1936, with the outbreak of the Arab revolt, the Arabs closed the port of Jaffa with the intention of halting the rapid expansion of Jewish settlements in Israel. Dizengoff pressured the government to give him permission to open a port in his new city of Tel Aviv, and before his death he managed to dedicate the first pier of Tel Aviv's new port. He urged that government offices be opened in Tel Aviv.
Dinzengoff was a member of the Zionist executive between 1927 and 1929 and ran its trade and industry department. His memoirs, "Im Tel Aviv ha-Golah" were published in 1931.
מסורבי עליה שובתים רעב לפני בית הכנסת היחיד בקישינב,
בריה"מ, 1979.
צילום: טוביה נתנאל גרוס, ישראל.
(המרכז לתיעוד חזותי ע"ש אוסטר, בית התפוצות,
באדיבות טוביה נתנאל גרוס, ישראל)