Arthur Ruppin

Arthur Ruppin ( 1876 - 1943 ) was a Zionist thinker and leader. Arthur Ruppin was born in Germany. At age 15, family poverty forced him to go to work. Nonetheless, he was able to complete his studies in law and economics. He was to distinguish himself both in furthering practical Zionist settlement and in the academic world. Ruppin joined the Zionist Organization in 1905. In 1907 he was sent by David Wolfsohnn, the President of the Zionist Organization, to study the condition of the Jewish Yishuv (community in Palestine) and to investigate the possibilities for development of agriculture and industry. He reported on what he saw,[1] which was not good, and gave recommendations for improving the situation. In 1908 Ruppin came to live in Israel by decision of the eighth Zionist Congress. He opened the Palestine Bureau (also known as "Eretz Yisrael Office") of the Zionist organization in Yaffo, with the aim of directing the settlement activities of the Zionist movement. His work made "practical Zionism" possible and shaped the direction of the second Aliya, the last wave of Jewish immigration before World War I.[2] Ruppin became the Zionist land agent. He helped to get a loan for Ahuzat Bayit, later Tel Aviv, and acquired land on the Carmel, in Afula, in the Jezreel Valley,[3] and in Jerusalem. Ruppin was instrumental in shaping the nature of Jewish settlement in Palestine and in changing the paradigm of settlement from those of plantation owners and poor laborers to the Kibbutz collective and cooperative Moshavim that became the backbone of the state-in-the-making. He catalyzed the commune at Sejera and helped to turn it into the first Kibbutz settlement - Degania, as well as helping to support and organize Kinnereth, Merhavia and other settlements.[4] Ruppin was among the founders of the Brit Shalom peace movement, which supported a binational state, but he left Brith Shalom after the Arab riots of 1929. Thereafter he was convinced that only an independent Jewish state would be possible, and he believed that the way to bring about that state was through continued settlement. He headed the Jewish Agency in 1933-1935, and helped to settle the large numbers of Jewish immigrants from Germany who came in that period. Ruppin died in 1943 and was buried in Kibbutz Degania. Adapted from the introduction to "Arthur Ruppin: The Picture in 1907" by the author. Notes [1] The main points of his ideas were given in address to the Vienna Jewish Colonization association: "Arthur Ruppin: The Picture in 1907" [2]More information about the Second Aliya is given at A history of Zionism and the creation of Israel . [3]Ruppin's account of Zionist land purchases and the difficulties involved in them is given at Buying the Emek [4] Background about Labor Zionism can be found at Labor and Socialist Zionism .

He was also one of the founders of the city of Tel Aviv , directing Berlin's Bureau for Jewish Statistics and Demography from 1902 to 1907. In 1926 Ruppin joined the faculty of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and founded the sociology department. A building there is now named in his honor. His most celebrated sociological work is "The Jews In The Modern World" (1934). Arthur Ruppin was born in Rawicz in the German Empire (today in Poland ). When he was fifteen, his family's poverty forced him to work to support it. Nonetheless, he was able to complete his studies in law and economics, winning the Krupp prize in 1899 for his dissertation on the use of social Darwinism in industry. He was to distinguish himself both in furthering practical Zionist settlement and in the academic world. Ruppin joined the Zionist Organization (ZO, the future World Zionist Organization - WZO) in 1905. In 1907 he was sent by David Wolfsohn , the President of the ZO, to study the condition of the Yishuv (the Jewish community in Palestine ), then in the Ottoman Empire , to investigate the possibilities for development of agriculture and industry . He reported on what he saw, which was distressing, and gave recommendations for improving the situation. In 1908 Ruppin came to live in Palestine by decision of the eighth Zionist Congress . He opened the Palestine Office of the Zionist Organization in Jaffa , with the aim of directing the settlement activities of the Zionist movement. His work made Practical Zionism possible and shaped the direction of the Second Aliya , the last wave of Jewish immigration to Palestine before World War I . Ruppin became the chief Zionist land agent. He helped to get a loan for Ahuzat Bayit , later Tel Aviv , and acquired land on the Carmel , in Afula , in the Jezreel Valley , and in Jerusalem . Ruppin was instrumental in shaping the nature of Jewish settlement in Palestine and in changing the paradigm of settlement from those of plantation owners and poor laborers to the collective and cooperative kibbutzim and moshavim that became the backbone of the state-in-the-making. He catalyzed the commune at Sejera , and helped building the first kibbutz - Degania , as well as helping to support and organize Kinneret , Merhavia and other settlements. Later, he supported Yehoshua Hankin in his purchases of large tracts of land in the Galilee . Ruppin was among the founders of the Brit Shalom peace movement , which supported a binational state , but he left Brit Shalom after the 1929 Hebron massacre . Thereafter he was convinced that only an independent Jewish state would be possible, and he believed that the way to bring about that state was through continued settlement. He headed the Jewish Agency between 1933 and 1935, and helped to settle the large numbers of Jewish immigrants from Germany who came in that period. Ruppin died in 1943. He was buried in Degania Alef . Many cities in Israel named streets after him, and the city of Haifa has a prize in his name awarded for extraordinary works in thinking, philosophy and politics. One of the prize-winners was the philosopher, zionist and friend of Kafka 's, Felix Weltsch in 1952. The German city Magdeburg , in which Ruppin lived during his youth, has also named one street after him.

Arthur Ruppin (1 March 1876 – 1 January 1943) was a Zionist thinker and leader. He was one of the founders of the city of Tel Aviv . From 1908 on, he was the director of the Palestine Office of the Zionist Organization in Jaffa , organizing Zionist colonisation in Palestine. In 1926 Ruppin joined the faculty of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and founded the sociology department. A building there is now named in his honor.

German-Jewish Zionist (1876–1943) Arthur Ruppin (1 March 1876 – 1 January 1943) was a German Zionist proponent of pseudoscientific race theory and one of the founders of the city of Tel Aviv . Appointed director of Berlin's Bureau for Jewish statistics ( Büro für Statistik der Juden ) in 1904, he moved to Palestine in 1907, and from 1908 was the director of the Palestine Office of the Zionist Organization in Jaffa , organizing Zionist immigration to Palestine. In 1926, Ruppin joined the faculty of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and founded the Department for the Sociology of the Jews. Described posthumously as the "founder of German-Jewish demography" and "father of Israeli sociology", his best known sociological work was The Jews in the Modern World (1934).

German-Jewish Zionist (1876–1943) Arthur Ruppin ( Hebrew : ארתור רופין ; 1 March 1876 – 1 January 1943) was a German Zionist and one of the founders of the city of Tel Aviv . Appointed director of Berlin's Bureau for Jewish Statistics ( Büro für Statistik der Juden ) in 1904, he moved to Palestine in 1907, and from 1908 was the director of the Palestine Office [ he ] of the Zionist Organization in Jaffa , organizing Zionist immigration to Palestine. In 1926, Ruppin joined the faculty of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and founded the Department for the Sociology of the Jews. Described posthumously as the "founder of German-Jewish demography" and "father of Israeli sociology", his best-known sociological work was The Jews in the Modern World (1934). He was also a proponent of pseudoscientific race theory.