November 27, 1911

Known as the “Father of the Zionist Settlement Enterprise,” Ruppin (1876-1943) is a pragmatic Zionist, sent to Palestine by the Zionist Organization to assess the possibilities of Jewish settlement there. In 1907, he opens the Palestine Office of the Zionist Organization, becoming engaged in land settlement and organizing the new Jewish communities in Palestine prior to WWI. In an article in Ha-Po’el Ha-Tza’ir, he advocates full inclusion of women in the Zionist enterprise stressing that Zionism would succed better if women played significant roles. Ruppin helps support the training of Zionist women at the Kinneret. In 1920 the WZO takes on the support of training women in agriculture. Ruppin’s writings and organizational talents contribute enormously to Zionist settlement successes after World War I.