YEHOSHUA HANKIN (1864-1945). The only person declared as 'The Land Redeemer' in Israel. He acquired 125,000 acres of land for Jewish people.

Contrary to the popular belief in non-Jewish world that Jews came and took away all the Arab lands illegally, here is an example of a person who dedicated his entire life to acquire land from their owners by proper legal means. Today, when you travel through Israel, one of the most beautiful landscapes visible is the Jezreel valley. Not many realize that, before the arrival of Jews, this lush green fertile stretch of land was nothing but a saline swampland plagued by malaria. It is hard to imagine that a few decades before, this whole green strip of area was just a barren wasteland! The land reclamation was possible only after Jezreel Valley was purchased by Jews from Arabs. The credit for this remarkable land purchase goes to a Russian Jew, Yehoshua Hankin, whose tireless efforts resulted in fulfilling this dream (It took him 30 years to acquire the Jezreel Valley).

Born in the Kremenchug, Ukraine, Yehoshua Hankin came Israel in l882 with his father, where they were among the founders of Rishon LeZion-the second Jewish Agricultural settlement in Palestine. In l887, they moved to Gedera where Yehoshua established relations with the local Arab landowners which helped in negotiating the purchase of land to expand the Jewish settlements. In l890, at the age of 25, Hankin made his first land purchase of 2000 acres; land on which modern Rehovot (Remember Rehovot is where Weizman Institute is located) was established.

It was only a beginning. In the next 55 years of his life, he acquired 125,000 acres of land for Jewish people. Jewish land purchasing institutions and settlements purchased close to 200,000 acres of land under his direction. Today, Hankin is known as the “Redeemer of the Valley" or "Land Redeemer" in Israel. By all means he is the most eligible person to hold the title. Hankin died in Tel Aviv and was buried with his wife, Olga, on Mt. Gilboa-above the 'Cave of Gideon' in Mayan Harod. Today, Moshav Kfar Yehoshua in the western Jezre’el Valley and the Beit Hankin Museum carry his name.