Two Ardent Zionists
1. Shaul Pinchas Rabinovitch, known as SheFeR, was born in Lithuania in 1845. He became a Zionist, one of the leading forces in Hovevei Zion in the Russian Empire.
2. He was active in Hebrew publication, writing for such newspapers as HaMagid and HaTsefira.
3. He published a collective work, Knesset Yisroel – the Gathering of Israel.
4. He translated Graetz’s history of the Jews [see my blog post of July 13, 2013] into Hebrew, making significant changes to remove anything that shed a poor light on Israel.
5. He died in Frankfurt in 1910.
David Bloch visiting Detroit
6. David Bloch (also known as David Bloch-Blumenfeld) was born Efraim Blumenfeld in Grodno in 1884. He was active in Poalei Zion, helping establish labor offices and workers’ settlements.
7. He was a distinguished part of the second aliyah, a founding member of both Ahdut HaAvodah (1919) and Histradut (1920).
8. In 1923, he became Deputy Mayor of Tel Aviv; he served as the city’s mayor from 1925-7.
9. He died in 1947. Moshav Dovev in the upper Galilee was named for him (1963).
In Tel Aviv, you’ll find Shefer Street in Neve Tzedek running eastward from HaKarmel just north of Kalischer. Further north, you’ll find Bloch running northeastward from Ben Gurion to Arlosoroff.
Streets of Israel 