Dov Kalmanovich (; born 1956) is an Israeli activist and terrorism survivor, who founded the Organization of Victims of Hostilities. He served as chairman of the board of the governmental

Company for the Reconstruction and Development of the Jewish Quarter The Company for the Reconstruction and Development of the Jewish Quarter () is a state-owned enterprise established in 1968 to restore the Jewish Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem and develop it to become a national, religious, historical, and ...

of the Old City of

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

and in other volunteer capacities. Kalmanovich served as a Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem and city council member from 2013-2018. He is considered the first Israeli victim in the

First Intifada The First Intifada (), also known as the First Palestinian Intifada, was a sustained series of Nonviolent resistance, non-violent protests, acts of civil disobedience, Riot, riots, and Terrorism, terrorist attacks carried out by Palestinians ...

Biography

Dov Kalmanovich was born and raised in

to a family that goes back seven generations in the city. Kalmanovich studied at

Yeshivat Har Etzion Yeshivat Har Etzion (YHE; ), commonly known in English as "Gush" and in Hebrew as "Yeshivat HaGush", is a Hesder yeshiva located in Alon Shvut, an Israeli settlement in the West Bank. It is considered one of the leading institutions of advanced T ...

and earned a degree in accounting from

Bar Ilan University Bar-Ilan University (BIU, , ''Universitat Bar-Ilan'') is a public research university in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel. Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is Israel's second-largest academic university institution. It has 20,000 ...

. He is active in professional committees in the Israel Chamber of Accountants. After his marriage he lived in Beit El and later returned to Jerusalem. He was married to Adina until her death. The couple has six children. Under his leadership, the Jewish Quarter Development Corporation rebuilt the

Hurva Synagogue The Hurva Synagogue (), also known as Hurvat Rabbi Yehudah he-Hasid (), is an Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. It was originally founded in the early 18th century by fol ...

Injury

On January 31, 1988, on his way home to Beit El, a Molotov cocktail was thrown at him by a terrorist. Kalmanovich suffered third degree burns on 75% of his body. Roni Ozeri, a resident of nearby Psagot settlement, saw his body on fire and stopped and rolled Kalmanovich in the sand, thus saving his life. He was taken to Hadassah Hospital in serious condition. Despite his critical condition and the doctors' initial assessments, he survived and went through a long rehabilitation process. According to the

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

, reporting shortly after the attack, "Kalmanovich is the first Israeli civilian to be seriously injured in the unrest since it began." The firebombing of Kalmanovich's car and the scarring injuries he sustained play a role in

Naomi Ragen Naomi Ragen (; born July 10, 1949) is an American-Israeli modern-Orthodox Jewish author and playwright. Ragen lives in Jerusalem, and writes in English. A recurring theme in her fictional works is injustice against women in the Haredi Jewish commu ...

's 2007 novel about the

, ''The Covenant''.

Public activities

Following his injury, Kalmanovich continued his work as an accountant, and also began to engage in volunteer activities. Among other things, he served as the chairman of the Beit El Bet section of Beit El and a member of the Binyamin Regional Council.

Terrorist Victims Advocacy

He founded the Organization of Victims of Hostilities which advocates for terrorist victims and survivors. He initiated the establishment of the monument to terrorism victims at

Mount Herzl Mount Herzl ( ''Har Hertsl''), also ''Har ha-Zikaron'' ( lit. "Mount of Remembrance"), is the site of Israel's national cemetery and other memorial and educational facilities, found on the west side of Jerusalem beside the Jerusalem Forest. I ...

cemetery in Jerusalem and worked to establish an official state memorial ceremony for victims on

Memorial Day Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. It is observed on the last Monday of May. It i ...

. He has appeared before the United Nations and the US Congress as a representative of terrorism survivors. He also participated in the Madrid conference and appeared in interviews and articles on the world's largest television networks. He founded the Zochrim organization for terrorism survivors and in 2009 was one of the initiators of the Zochrimpedia project, an online encyclopedia that memorializes fallen soldiers an terrorism victims.

Old City Rehabilitation

He later served as the chairman of the board of the Company for the Reconstruction and Development of the Jewish Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem Ltd. There he devoted his time to the rebuilding of the

Hurva synagogue The Hurva Synagogue (), also known as Hurvat Rabbi Yehudah he-Hasid (), is an Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. It was originally founded in the early 18th century by fol ...

which was founded in the early 18th century by followers of Judah HeHasid on the ruins of a 15th century synagogue. It was destroyed by the Ottomans, rebuild and later destroyed by the Jordanians in 1948. The reconstruction was completed in 2010.

Jerusalem City Council

In 2013 Kalamovich was elected to the Jerusalem City Council representing the Jewish Home Party for a five year term. He served as a deputy mayor and held the portfolio for religious education in Jerusalem, Jewish culture, tourism and foreign relations. He chose not to run for reelection when his term ended in 2018.

External links

The Organization of Victims of Hostilities

Zochrim organization

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalmanovich, Dov Living people Deputy mayors of Jerusalem Israeli accountants Israeli Orthodox Jews Israeli settlers Israeli terrorism victims Activists from Jerusalem Politicians from Jerusalem Survivors of terrorist attacks The Jewish Home politicians 1956 births City councillors of Jerusalem Yeshivat Har Etzion alumni Bar-Ilan University alumni