Yosef Vitkin (1876–1912) was a

Zionist Zionism is an Ethnic nationalism, ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in History of Europe#From revolution to imperialism (1789–1914), Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the ...

pioneer who is best known for his appeal for the Jewish

aliyah ''Aliyah'' (, ; ''ʿălīyyā'', ) is the immigration of Jews from Jewish diaspora, the diaspora to, historically, the geographical Land of Israel or the Palestine (region), Palestine region, which is today chiefly represented by the Israel ...

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

. His appeal contributed significantly to the success of the second

Aliyah ''Aliyah'' (, ; ''ʿălīyyā'', ) is the immigration of Jews from Jewish diaspora, the diaspora to, historically, the geographical Land of Israel or the Palestine (region), Palestine region, which is today chiefly represented by the Israel ...

, the immigration of Jews to the

Land of Israel The Land of Israel () is the traditional Jewish name for an area of the Southern Levant. Related biblical, religious and historical English terms include the Land of Canaan, the Promised Land, the Holy Land, and Palestine. The definition ...

Life

Yosef Vitkin was born in 1876 in Byelorussia (today

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

) and moved to Palestine in 1897 at the age of 21. At first he worked as a laborer but later, because he was well-educated, became a teacher. He worked as a teacher and headmaster in

Gedera Gedera, or less commonly known as Gdera (), is a town in the southern part of the Shfela region in the Central District of Israel founded in 1884. It is south of Rehovot. In , it had a population of . History Gedera is in the Book of C ...

, Kfar Tabor and

Rishon LeZion Rishon LeZion ( , "First to Zion") is a city in Israel, located along the central Israeli coastal plain south of Tel Aviv. It is part of the Gush Dan metropolitan area. Founded in 1882 by Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire who were ...

. In March, 1905, he published his pamphlet (''A Call to the Youth of Israel Whose Hearts are with Their People and Zion'') which encouraged the young Jews of Eastern Europe to return to Palestine and build the national home based on the principles of physical labor. It was written in Hebrew and made a moving appeal that greatly influenced idealistic Jewish youth in Russia. Yosef Vitkin was also among the founders and leaders of

Hapoel Hatzair Hapoel Hatzair (, "The Young Worker") was a Zionist group active in Palestine from 1905 until 1930. It was founded by A.D. Gordon, Yosef Aharonovich, Yosef Sprinzak and followed a non-Marxist, Zionist, socialist agenda. Hapoel Hatzair was a ...

, the Young Workers Party, in 1905.

Death and legacy

In 1907, he contracted throat cancer and went for medical treatment in Vienna. He died in Tel Aviv in 1912 at the age of 36.

Kfar Vitkin Kfar Vitkin () is a moshav in central Israel. Located near Netanya, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hefer Valley Regional Council and was the first Jewish settlement in the valley. In it had a population of . History The community was esta ...

(''lit.'' Vitkin Village) is a cooperative agricultural community founded in 1930. Many streets in Israel have been named for him.

References

External links

Biography Joseph Vitkin at the Jewish Agency

10 Things You Need to Know About Joseph Vitkin
{{Authority control 1876 births 1912 deaths Zionist activists Belarusian Zionists