Dov Hoz
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Dov Hoz (1894-1940) was a leader of the Labor Zionism movement, one of the founders of the Haganah organization, and a pioneer of Israeli aviation.
Born in Orsha, Russian Empire in 1894, Hoz immigrated to Ottoman Palestine along with his family in 1906.
Beginning in 1909, he was part of the group that organized guarding activity of the city of Tel-Aviv. The group included Shaul Meiruv-Avigor, Eliyahu Golomb and Moshe Sharett.
During World War I, Hoz volunteered for service in the Turkish army and was sentenced to death for continuing activities to secure the Jewish settlement of Palestine. He escaped death by fleeing to the south of Palestine which had just been conquered by the British.
Some highlights of his career:
- He was one of the organizers of the Jewish Legion.
- 1920-1930: Member of the central Haganah committee
- 1931-1940: Member of the national Haganah command center.
- One of the heads of the labor movement and part of the group that start the socialist Labour Unity party.
- 1935: Appointed vice-mayor of Tel-Aviv.
- Later, head of the state department of the Histadrut (Labor Federation).
- Founder and CEO of "Aviron", a company which pioneered aviation in Israel, mostly for security purposes, by training pilots, establishing flight lines in Israel and outside. This company served as cover for "Sherut Avir" of the Haganah.
Hoz died in a car accident in December 1940 on his way to an Aviron board meeting. In his car were his wife Rivka (sister of Moshe Shertok later to be known as Moshe Sharett, making Sharett Dov's brother-in-law), daughter Tirza, sister in law Tzvia Sharett and business partner Yitzhak Ben Yaacov.
Kibbutz "Dorot" in the Negev is named after the Hoz family members to denote "Dov, Rivka, Tirza".
Sde Dov Airport in North Tel-Aviv is also named after Dov Hoz.
