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{{For|the chef|Yisrael Aharoni}}
{{For|the chef|Yisrael Aharoni}}
[[File:Israel Aharoni.jpg|thumb|Israel Aharoni 1882 - 1946]]


{{Infobox scientist
'''Israel Aharoni''' ([[Hebrew]]: ישראל אהרוני )(1946 1882) was a zoologist in [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] and [[British Palestine]] widely known as the "first [[Hebrews|Hebrew]] [[zoology|zoologist]]." Aharoni discovered 30 previously unknown species of animals, insects and birds, and is credited with giving them Hebrew names.
| name = Israel Aharoni
| image = Israel Aharoni.jpg
| caption = Israel Aharoni (1882 - 1946)
| birth_date = 1882
| birth_place = [[Vidzy]], [[Kovno Governorate]], [[Russian Empire]]
| death_date = 1946
| death_place =
| nationality = Israeli
| fields = [[Zoology]]
| workplaces = [[Hebrew University of Jerusalem]]
| alma_mater = [[Charles University]]
| known_for = Discovery and breeding of [[Syrian hamster]]s
| awards =
| spouse =
| children =
}}


'''Israel Aharoni''' (1882 - 1946 {{lang-he|ישראל אהרוני}}) was a zoologist in [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] and [[Mandatory Palestine|British Palestine]] widely known as the "first [[Hebrews|Hebrew]] [[zoology|zoologist]]."
Aharoni is best known for collecting a litter of [[Syrian hamster]]s on an expedition to [[Aleppo]], [[Syria]]. The hamsters were bred as laboratory animals in [[Jerusalem]], but some escaped through a hole in the floor. The majority of hamsters in [[Israel]] today are thus said to be descended from this one litter.<ref>[http://www.ppne.co.uk/index.php?m=show&id=30551 :: Professor Paul's Lives of the Great Naturalists : Israel Aharoni<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

Aharoni is best known for collecting a litter of [[Syrian hamster]]s on an expedition to [[Aleppo]], [[Syria]]. The hamsters were bred as laboratory animals in [[Jerusalem]], but some escaped through a hole in the floor. The majority of hamsters in [[Israel]] today are thus said to be descended from this one litter.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ynet.co.il/yaan/0,7340,L-233300-PreYaan,00.html|title = Ynet - הודעת שגיאה - דף הבית}}</ref>


==Biography==
==Biography==
Israel Aharoni was born in [[Vidzy]], [[Kovno Governorate]], [[Russian Empire]] (in present-day [[Belarus]]). His father, Avraham Yossef Aharonovich, was the [[Rosh yeshiva]] of Vidzy and died before his son Israel was born. Israel lost his mother as well when he was two years old.
Israel Aharoni was born in [[Widze]] In the Russian Empire (now Vidzy, [[Belarus]]), and went to school in [[Prague]]. He immigrated to Palestine, which was then under Turkish rule, and his early zoological expeditions took place under the protection of the local Sultan, for whom he obtained [[butterfly]] specimens. Many of his collected specimens can still be viewed at the [[Hebrew University of Jerusalem]].<ref> [http://www.netanya-moreshet.org.il/Info/founder_show.aspx?id=71117 Israel Aharoni bio (Hebrew)]</ref>
Being an orphan, he lived with his grandmother and studied at a [[Cheder]] and later on at the [[Telshe yeshiva]].
At the age of 13, Israel ran away from his home to [[Prague]], where he attended school and later on continued to learn [[zoology]] at [[Charles University]].<ref>{{Cite Tidhar|1|188|פרופ. ישראל אהרני (אהרונוביץ)|title=Prof. Israel Aharoni (Aharonovich)}}</ref>


He [[aliyah|immigrated]] to Palestine in 1901, which was then under Turkish rule. His early zoological expeditions took place under the protection of the local Sultan, for whom he obtained [[butterfly]] specimens. Many of his collected specimens can still be viewed at the [[Hebrew University of Jerusalem]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://nnhc.huji.ac.il/reptiles-amphibians/|title = אוסף זוחלים ודו-חיים &#124; אתר אוסף זוחלים ודו-חיים}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://nnhc.huji.ac.il/birds/|title = אוסף העופות &#124; אתר אוסף העופות}}</ref>
==Syrian hamsters==

==Zoology career==
[[File:Israel Aharoni during a lecture.jpg|thumb|Aharoni lecturing at [[Hebrew University of Jerusalem]], circa 1947]]
Aharoni discovered 30 previously unknown species of animals, insects and birds, and is credited with giving them Hebrew names.
In 1930, Aharoni set off to look for Syrian hamsters at the request of his colleague [[Saul Adler]], a [[parasitology|parasitologist]] who was looking for an easily breedable alternative to the [[Chinese hamster]] for research on the disease [[Leishmaniasis]]. Syrian hamsters had been discovered and named by [[George Robert Waterhouse]] in 1839 but had not been sighted since. Together with a [[Syria]]n guide named ''Georgius Khalil Tah'an'', Aharoni managed to discover a [[nest]] containing a female and eleven young in the [[Aleppo]] region. However, [[cannibalism]] of one of the litter by the mother, and the subsequent death of the mother, meant that Aharoni had to hand-rear the pups during the journey back. The four that made it were bred successfully and used extensively in laboratories, before being introduced to the pet market in the 1940s.{{Citation needed|date=October 2009}}
In 1930, Aharoni set off to look for Syrian hamsters at the request of his colleague [[Saul Adler]], a [[parasitology|parasitologist]] who was looking for an easily breedable alternative to the [[Chinese hamster]] for research on the disease [[Leishmaniasis]]. Syrian hamsters had been discovered and named by [[George Robert Waterhouse]] in 1839 but had not been sighted since. Together with a [[Syria]]n guide named ''Georgius Khalil Tah'an'', Aharoni managed to discover a [[nest]] containing a female and eleven young in the [[Aleppo]] region. However, [[cannibalism]] of one of the litter by the mother, and the subsequent death of the mother, meant that Aharoni had to hand-rear the pups during the journey back. The four that made it were bred successfully and used extensively in laboratories, before being introduced to the pet market in the 1940s.{{Citation needed|date=October 2009}}


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{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


{{Authority control|VIAF=41411390}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
| NAME = Aharoni, Israel
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = Zoologist
| DATE OF BIRTH = 1882
| PLACE OF BIRTH = Widze, Belarus
| DATE OF DEATH = 1946
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Aharoni, Israel}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aharoni, Israel}}
[[Category:Israeli zoologists]]
[[Category:1882 births]]
[[Category:1882 births]]
[[Category:1946 deaths]]
[[Category:1946 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Braslaw District]]
[[Category:People from Novoalexandrovsky Uyezd]]
[[Category:Belarusian Jews]]
[[Category:Belarusian Jews]]
[[Category:Israeli Jews]]
[[Category:Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the Ottoman Empire]]
[[Category:Jews in Ottoman Palestine]]
[[Category:Ashkenazi Jews from Ottoman Palestine]]
[[Category:Russian Jews]]
[[Category:Ashkenazi Jews in Mandatory Palestine]]
[[Category:People from Braslaw Raion]]
[[Category:20th-century Israeli zoologists]]
[[Category:Israeli people of Belarusian descent]]
[[Category:Taxonomists]]
[[Category:Imperial Russian emigrants to the Ottoman Empire]]
[[Category:Charles University alumni]]
[[Category:Jews in Mandatory Palestine]]
[[Category:Academic staff of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem]]
[[Category:Burials at the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives]]
[[Category:Immigrants of the First Aliyah]]

Revision as of 22:04, 20 August 2024

Israel Aharoni
Israel Aharoni (1882 - 1946)
Born1882
Died1946
NationalityIsraeli
Alma materCharles University
Known forDiscovery and breeding of Syrian hamsters
Scientific career
FieldsZoology
InstitutionsHebrew University of Jerusalem

Israel Aharoni (1882 - 1946 Hebrew: ישראל אהרוני) was a zoologist in Ottoman and British Palestine widely known as the "first Hebrew zoologist."

Aharoni is best known for collecting a litter of Syrian hamsters on an expedition to Aleppo, Syria. The hamsters were bred as laboratory animals in Jerusalem, but some escaped through a hole in the floor. The majority of hamsters in Israel today are thus said to be descended from this one litter.[1]

Biography

Israel Aharoni was born in Vidzy, Kovno Governorate, Russian Empire (in present-day Belarus). His father, Avraham Yossef Aharonovich, was the Rosh yeshiva of Vidzy and died before his son Israel was born. Israel lost his mother as well when he was two years old. Being an orphan, he lived with his grandmother and studied at a Cheder and later on at the Telshe yeshiva. At the age of 13, Israel ran away from his home to Prague, where he attended school and later on continued to learn zoology at Charles University.[2]

He immigrated to Palestine in 1901, which was then under Turkish rule. His early zoological expeditions took place under the protection of the local Sultan, for whom he obtained butterfly specimens. Many of his collected specimens can still be viewed at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.[3][4]

Zoology career

Aharoni lecturing at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, circa 1947

Aharoni discovered 30 previously unknown species of animals, insects and birds, and is credited with giving them Hebrew names. In 1930, Aharoni set off to look for Syrian hamsters at the request of his colleague Saul Adler, a parasitologist who was looking for an easily breedable alternative to the Chinese hamster for research on the disease Leishmaniasis. Syrian hamsters had been discovered and named by George Robert Waterhouse in 1839 but had not been sighted since. Together with a Syrian guide named Georgius Khalil Tah'an, Aharoni managed to discover a nest containing a female and eleven young in the Aleppo region. However, cannibalism of one of the litter by the mother, and the subsequent death of the mother, meant that Aharoni had to hand-rear the pups during the journey back. The four that made it were bred successfully and used extensively in laboratories, before being introduced to the pet market in the 1940s.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ "Ynet - הודעת שגיאה - דף הבית".
  2. ^ Tidhar, David (1947). "Prof. Israel Aharoni (Aharonovich)" פרופ. ישראל אהרני (אהרונוביץ). Encyclopedia of the Founders and Builders of Israel (in Hebrew). Vol. 1. Estate of David Tidhar and Touro College Libraries. p. 188.
  3. ^ "אוסף זוחלים ודו-חיים | אתר אוסף זוחלים ודו-חיים".
  4. ^ "אוסף העופות | אתר אוסף העופות".