Ze'ev Yavetz

Background

Yavetz was born in Kolno in the Russian Empire (today in Poland).

Career

In 1887, at the age of 40, he immigrated to Ottoman-controlled Palestine. He initially worked in a vineyard in the Yehud moshava, before being recruited by Edmond James de Rothschild to be headteacher at a school in Zikhron Ya'akov. On Tu Bishvat that year he took his students to plant trees in Zikhron Ya'akov.

This custom was adopted in 1908 by the Jewish Teachers Union and later by the Jewish National Fund. However, falling out with Rothschild he left Palestine, he moved to Vilna. In his latter years he moved to England, where he completed his 14-volume history of the Jews Toldot Yisrael.

He died in London in 1924. The moshav of Kfar Yavetz was named after him.

Achievements

• Whilst there he was a founder of the Mizrachi movement in 1902, and became editor of its periodical "HaMizrachi".

Membership

Yavetz was invited to become a member of the Hebrew Language Committee, and coined several modern Hebrew words, including tarbut (culture) and kvish (road).