Background
Katznelson was born in November 1846 in Chernigov in the South-West Russian Empire (now in Ukraine).
Katznelson was born in November 1846 in Chernigov in the South-West Russian Empire (now in Ukraine).
He studied yeshiva in Zhytomyr, and began his medical study at the University of Saint St. Petersburg. In 1865, Katzenelson attended the government-sponsored rabbinical seminary in Zhitomir.
After graduating, he served as a military physician in the Ottoman–Russian War (1877-1878). At the end of the war, Katznelson settled in Saint St. Petersburg. As a young man, he worked for Hebrew-language newspapers (egToday, a Russian newspaper) as an editor and contributed to articles on scientific matters.
He began to write about medical science, drawing on the Talmud as relevant to modern medicine.
These articles were assembled later in his book The Wisdom of the Talmud and Medicine. Katznelson did not identify as a Zionist at the beginning of his public career, but supported Jewish Territorialists.
He was eager to promote Jewish-owned agricultural advances wherever possible, especially in southern Russia and the Jewish colonies in Argentina. In 1909, he visited the Land of Israel and toured Jewish settlements.
After the resignation of Simon Dubnov, Katznelson was appointed to the main Iibrskyh encyclopedia.
Katznelson taught Russian and lectured in Oriental Studies, focusing on the settlement of the Land of Israel. Many of Katznelson"s books were published outside of Russia. Katznelson Leib practiced medicine in Saint St. Petersburg until his death in 1917.
Katznelson developed fame with the Jewish people.
Monographs on his life and works include those by David Frishman, Jacob Fichman, Ben-Zion Katz, Menachem Ribolob and Reuben Brainin, Messed Lachover and Israel Cohen. Tel Aviv named a street after him, using his literary pseudonym "Buki Ben Yogli".
This visit changed his opinion. He abandoned territorialism and began to support practical Zionism.
