| Bracha Peli | |
|---|---|
| Born | Bronya Kutzenok 1892 Kiev |
| Died | 1986 Israel |
| Nationality | Israel |
| Occupation | Publisher |
| Known for | Publishing |
| Home town | Tel Aviv |
| Spouse | yes |
| Children | Alexander Peli and daughter |
Bracha Peli (1892-1986) was the owner of Massada, a publishing company in Israel, and the driving force behind the publication of The General Encyclopedia and Encyclopaedia Hebraica.[1] She is credited with starting Israel's annual Hebrew Book Week.[2] The Encyclopaedia Hebraica project began using Bracha Peli's publishing house in 1946 with her son, Alexander, supervising. The last volume was published in 1996[3]
Bracha Peli (Bronya Kutzenok) was born in Starovitzky, a small village in what is now Ukraine.[3] to a family of Hasidic Jews. She gained an education by overhearing lessons given to her six elder brothers. Early on, she became proficient in Yiddish, Russian and Hebrew. In 1905, when she was about to study at a Gymnasium in Kiev, pogroms against the Jews erupted, disrupting her plans. She waited two years to complete her secondary education. On her own initiative she registered for a course in economics, which would be useful for a career in business.[3]
In 1914, after her mother died of tuberculosis, Peli met a young Zionist teacher, Meir Pilipovetsky, whom she married against her family's wishes. After her son, Alexander, was born she opened a Jewish secondary school which attracted 400 students in its first year. [3]
In July 1921, Peli and her husband left Russia. They settled in Palestine and helped to form the young city of Tel Aviv.[3] In 1926, Peli, opened a stall in Tel Aviv to sell books cheaply which led to the inauguration of an annual event.[2] Today Hebrew Book Week is a national 10-day event.[4]
Bracha Peli died in 1986.