Dr. Abraham J. Brawer
(1884-1975)
Abstract
Abraham Jacob Brawer was born in the city of “Sitry” in Galicia, and was first educated in the “Heder”(Jewish elementary school). He later studied at the University of Vienna and the city’s Yeshiva (Jewish college), thus fulfilling both rabbinical qualifications as well as receiving a PhD in History and Geography. From the time that Brawer immigrated to Palestine in 1911, he worked continuously in the fields of Geography and Historical Geography. His first comprehensive geographical volume - “The Country – A Guidebook”, was published in Tel-Aviv in 1928. Among his major research areas were the study of the Negev region in southern Israel, the editing of the geographic section of the Encyclopedia Hebraica, and the preparation of a topographical-geological map of Israel. As a teacher, Brawer prepared the first geography teaching program and trained many teachers for the instruction of the discipline within the Jewish schools of Palestine and then Israel. A. J. Brawer served as the first secretary of “The Society for the Research of Israel and it’s Antiquities”, which remained the base for his extensive public work. He was also among the founders of “The Israeli Language Academy” and acted within various religious circles, dealing with religious and charity operations. Brawer dedicated his last years to writing about quality of life issues in the country, sparing no criticism of public policies that undermined the prospects for sustaining an optimal quality of life.
Publications List