1. Israel Belkind was a Jewish educator, author, writer, historian and founder of the Bilu movement.
16 Facts About Israel Belkind
1. 2.
Israel Belkind was born in the region surrounding Minsk, Russian Empire, to Meir and Shifra Belkind.
3.
Israel Belkind's siblings were Shimon, Sonia and Olga Belkind Hankin, the last a feminist who was involved with redeeming land in Eretz Yisrael.
4.
Israel Belkind received a Hebrew education from his father, who was a leader in the movement which promoted Hebrew education in Russia.
5.
In 1929, Israel Belkind died in Berlin where he had gone to seek medical treatment.
6.
Israel Belkind's body was brought back to Palestine for burial.
7.
Israel Belkind organized the first organized group of Biluim on 21 January 1882, with the aim of promoting settlement in Ottoman Palestine.
8.
Israel Belkind later changed the name to BILU, an acronym for the words from Isaiah, "Beit Yaakov Lechu V'nelcha," "House of Jacob, come and we will go".
9.
Israel Belkind worked first in Mikveh Yisrael and Rishon LeZion, and then moved to Gedera, the first official Bilu community.
10.
Israel Belkind was unable to adjust to agricultural labor, and therefore, devoted himself to education.
11.
Israel Belkind was the key leader in the Yishuv's protest movement against representatives of Baron Rothschild.
12.
Israel Belkind's first teaching post was at a private school in Jaffa, and he then moved to Jerusalem where he taught at the Alliance israelite universelle.
13.
In 1904, Israel Belkind established an educational institute in the village of Meir Shfeya, which took in orphans from the Kishinev pogrom.
14.
However, after two years of dispute with the Edmond James de Rothschild's emissaries at the colony, Israel Belkind was prompted to move the children to Ben Shemen.
15.
Israel Belkind was the editor of HaMeir, a monthly publication on settlement and the Yishuv.
16.
Israel Belkind therefore, argued that this historical wrong must be corrected by embracing the local Arabs as their own and proposed the opening of Hebrew schools for Muslim Arabs of Palestine to teach them Arabic, Hebrew and universal culture.