אוסף יצחק בן צבי - השנים המוקדמות

This collection of photographs brings to the viewers a visual picture of the beginning of the public and ideological activities of Yitzchak Ben-Zvi, starting from the years he was a student in Poltava, Russia, through his visit to Israel, his studies in Kushta (Istanbul), his immigrating to Israel and his subsequent expulsion, his exile in America and his Zionist activities to settle the land of Israel, in the beginning of the 1900's. After the Kishinev pogroms (1903), YBZ founded a group of Jewish activists in Poltava. In 1904 he visited Jewish communities in the Ottoman Empire; in Greece and Lebanon, afterwards making his way to visit Israel. He remained in Israel for two months travelling extensively around the country. It was during this visit that he met and became friendly with YiIsrael and Eliezer Shochet, Yechezkel Chankin and Eliezer Ben-Yehuda. Upon his return to Poltova, he and Dov Bar Borochov founded the Zionist Worker's Party. In 1907 Ben-Zvi left Russia on his way to Israel. During the journey, while in Austria, he worked to incorporate the Poalei Zion Party (Zionist Worker's Party) into the Socialist International. When he arrived in Israel, he rented an apartment in Jaffa from Abraham Tzedaka, a Shomroni, and joined the Zionist Worker's Party, soon becoming one of the leaders. He was one of the founders of the Bar Giora Shmirah (Guards) Organization in 1907. He moved to Jerusalem after meeting Rachel Yanait Leshinsky. Together with her and some other friends, they opened the Hebrew Gymnasia School in Rehavia. He taught there in 1909. This same year he travelled to the 9th Zionist Congress and to the 2nd World Wide Congress of the Zionist's Workers Party, which took place in Krakov, Poland. He was sent as an emissary of the Party to Turkey, Lebanon and Syria. Later he founded the Shomer organization and in 1910 he started the newspaper 'Ha'achdut' (Unity) and served as the Editor-in-Chief. In 1912 he travelled to Istanbul (Kushtah), together with David Ben-Gurion, Yisrael Shochet and Yosef Stromazeh, to study law. With the outbreak of WWI in 1914, he was forced to return to Israel without completing his studies. One year later, in 1915, by the order of Jemal Pasha, Ben-Zvi was expelled from Israel, together with David Ben-Gurion and exiled to America. During the years 1916-17 Yitzchak Ben-Zvi was active in the American branch of The Workers of Zion and assisted in the founding of the Jewish Corps there. In 1918 he himself was drafted into the 40th Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers and with them he came to Israel. This same year he married Rachel Yanait Lishinsky. In 1919 he was one of the founders of the Labor Unity (a Zionist Socialist Party), serving on the Directorate. In 1920, after his release from the Jewish Corps, he was elected to the Jewish National Council. The High Commissioner appointed him as one of the three representatives of the YIshuv to the Advisory Council in Israel. Later he was one of the founders of the Haganah Movement as well as the General Workers Union and also served on their Board of Directors. This collection of photographs is a part of the photography archives of Yitzchak and Rachel Yanait Ben-Zvi. The archive includes family photographs, as well as pictures of public and professional activities. The earliest pictures are from their life and activities in Russia before WWI. It focuses on the period of their public activities and their research in Israel and its surroundings during the period of the 'Yishuv' (1907-1948), and during the years of his presidency (1952-1963). It includes photographs of Rachel Yanait Ben-Zvi's activities after the death of her husband (1963-1978). Additional sections of this photographic archive will be uploaded in the near future. اقرأ أكثر