Kook was born in Latvia and was one of the fathers of Religious Zionism. As a rabbi in London, he rallied popular support for the Balfour Declaration. After he immigrated to Palestine in 1919, Kook was appointed rabbi of the Ashkenazi communities in Jerusalem and in 1921 was elected the first Ashkenazi chief rabbi of Palestine. He opposed “Hatikvah” as the Zionist anthem for being too secular but built bridges to secular Zionists.
Photo: Central Zionist Archives