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Moshe Smilansky

משה סמילנסקי

Moshe Smilansky (1874-1953) was born in the Ukraine, and spent his childhood in pastoral surroundings. He was taught by private tutors, but also learned both from members of the first Zionist group, “the Biluim”, who lived in his village for a time, and from Tolstoy`s disciples, who settled there. When he was 16 he traveled to Eretz Israel, where he worked in agriculture. At the age of 20, he returned to Russia to serve in the army but after several weeks made his way back to Eretz Israel.

Smilansky’s first article was published in 1889. He began submitting articles about the Jewish community in Eretz Israel to Hebrew publications abroad. He settled in as a farmer/landowner in Rehovot, where he owned vineyards, orange groves and almond trees. In 1906 he fell ill and traveled to Europe seeking a cure. While recovering, he wrote his first story. The story, which eventually turned into a series, was about the life of the Arabs. Smilansky was one of the founders of the Jewish farmers’ association and a fervent supporter of the redeeming value of physical work, especially agriculture, for the Jewish people. Smilansky died in Tel Aviv.

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