Rabbi is the term in Judaism for a religious teacher. The word rabbi derives from the Hebrew root word , rav, which in biblical Hebrew means ‘great’ in many senses, including "revered." The word comes from the Semitic root R-B-B, and is cognate to Arabic ربّ rabb, meaning "lord" Rabbi ' onMouseout='HidePop("59558")' href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Samuel_Mohilever">Samuel Mohilever
Rabbi Samuel Mohilever , also Shmuel Mohilever, was a pioneer of Religious Zionism and one of the founders of the Hovevei Zion movement.Mohilever was born in Głębokie and studied in the Volozhin yeshiva....
was elected the president and
Leon PinskerLeon Pinsker was a physician, a Zionist pioneer and activist, and the founder and leader of the Hovevei Zion, also known as Hibbat Zion movement....
the chairman of the organization they named
Hovevei Zion. The group tried to secure financial help from Baron
Edmond James de RothschildBaron Edmond Benjamin James de Rothschild was a French member of the Rothschild banking family. A strong supporter of Zionism, his genorous donations lent significant support to the movement during its early years which helped lead to the establishment of the State of Israel.- Early years :A...
and other philanthropists to aid Jewish settlements and to organize educational courses.
In the
Russian EmpireThe Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia, and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, waves of
anti-JewishAntisemitism is prejudice against or hostility towards Jews, often rooted in hatred of their ethnic background, culture, or religion....
pogromA pogrom is a form of riot directed against a particular group, whether ethnic, religious, or other, and characterized by killings and destruction of their homes, businesses, and religious centers...
s of 1881–1884 (some allegedly state-sponsored), as well as the
May LawsThe May Laws were anti-Jewish regulations enacted on May 15 , 1882, by Czar Alexander III of Russia that were described as "temporary" but remained in effect for more than thirty years.-History:...
introduced by
TsarTsar or czar , occasionally spelled csar or Tzar in English, is a Slavic term with Bulgarian origins used to designate certain monarchs...
Alexander III of RussiaAlexander III Alexandrovich reigned as Emperor of Russia from 13 March 1881 until his death in 1894.-Early life:...
in 1882, deeply affected Jewish communities. Numerous informal groups materialized, varied in their views, political and
religious affiliation, size and activities. The group of
WarsawWarsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River roughly from both the Baltic Sea coast and the Carpathian Mountains. Its population as of 2009 was estimated at 1,709,781, and the Warsaw metropolitan area at approximately 2,785,000...
was found by
L. L. ZamenhofLudwik Łazarz Zamenhof was an ophthalmologist, philologist, and the inventor of Esperanto, a constructed language designed for international communication....
, who was working on the first grammar of Yiddish ever written, published under the pseudonym "Dr. X" only in 1909, in
Lebn un visnshaft, in the article "Vegn a yidisher gramatik un reform in der yidisher shprakh".
In order to attain legal recognition by the authorities, the Russian branch of
Hovevei Zion had to meet a demand to be registered as a
charityA charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . The term is relatively general and can technically refer to a public charity or a private foundation. It differs from other types of NPOs in that its focus is centered around goals of a general philanthropic nature A charitable...
. Early in 1890 its establishment was approved by the
Russian governmentThe politics of Russia take place in a framework of a federal semi-presidential republic. According to the Constitution of Russia, the President of Russia is head of state, and of a multi-party system with executive power exercised by the government, headed by the Prime Minister, who is appointed...
as "The Society for the Support of Jewish Farmers and Artisans in Syria and Eretz Israel," which came to be known as The
Odessa CommitteeThe Odessa Committee, officially known as the Society for the Support of Jewish Farmers and Artisans in Syria and Eretz Israel, was a charitable Zionist organization in the Russian Empire....
. It was dedicated to the practical aspects in establishing
agricultural settlementsIsraeli settlements are Israeli civilian communities in the Israeli-occupied territories . Such settlements currently exist in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights...
and its projects in 1890–1891 included help in the founding of
RehovotRehovot is a city in the Center District of Israel, about 20 km south of Tel Aviv. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics , at the end of 2007 the city had a total population of 106,200. Rehovot's official website estimates the population at 114,000.Rehovot was built on the site of...
and
HaderaHadera is a city located in the Haifa District of Israel approximately from the major cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa. The city is located along off the Israeli Mediterranean Coastal Plain...
and rehabilitation of
Mishmar HaYardenMishmar HaYarden is a moshav in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel. It belongs to the Mevo'ot HaHermon Regional Council. It is located on Highway 91 between Mahanayim and Gadot.It was founded in the 1950s...
.
In 1897, before the
First Zionist CongressThe First Zionist Congress is the name given to the congress held in Basel , Switzerland, from August 29 to August 31 1897. It was the first congress of the Zionist Organization . It was called forand chaired by Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism...
, The Odessa Committee counted over 4,000 members. As the Congress established the
World Zionist OrganizationThe World Zionist Organization , or WZO, was founded as the Zionist Organization , or ZO, in 1897 at the First Zionist Congress, held from August 29 to August 31 in Basel, Switzerland; it changed its name to World Zionist Organization in January 1960.The ZO served as an umbrella organization for...
, most of the
Hovevei Zion societies joined it.
See also
- Bilu
Bilu Bilu Bilu "בית יעקב לכו ונלכה" "Beit Ya'akov Lekhu Ve-nelkha" ("House of Jacob, let us go [up]") was a group of Jewish idealists aspiring to settle in the Land of Israel with the political purpose to redeem Eretz Yisrael and...
- Jewish National Home
- Jewish diaspora
The Jewish diaspora , the presence of Jews outside of the Land of Israel, is a result of the expulsion or emigration of Jews from Israel...
- Rishon LeZion
Rishon LeZion , is the fourth-largest city in Israel, located along the central Israeli coastal plain. It is part of the Gush Dan metropolitan area. The city had a population of 224,300 at the end of 2007...
- Mikveh Israel
The name Mikveh Israel may refer to:* Mikveh Israel, agricultural school and village in Israel* Congregation Mikveh Israel, Philadelphia, United States* Congregation Mickve Israel, Savannah, Georgia, United States...
External links