Ehud Ben-Yehuda

Ehud Ben-Yehuda
אֵהוּד בֶּן־יְהוּדָה‎
Born	(1897-11-27)November 27, 1897 Jerusalem, the Ottoman Emprie
Died	November 29, 1982(1982-11-29) (aged 85) Jerusalem, Israel
Years active	1922 - 1982
Notable work	Completion of Ben-Yehuda Dictionary
Spouse	Dora Rosenfeld
Children	Eliezer, Eliezra, Hemda
Parents	Eliezer Ben-Yehuda (father) Hemda Ben-Yehuda (mother)

Ehud Shlomo Ben-Yehuda (November 27, 1897 – November 29, 1982) was an Israeli lexicographer, educator, police officer, hunter, and storyteller. He was the son of Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, the reviver of the Hebrew language, and continued his father's work by completing the publication of the Ben-Yehuda Dictionary.

Early Life and Education

Born in Jerusalem to Eliezer and his second wife, Hemda, Ehud was their fourth child and the second to reach adulthood. He was among the first native speakers of modern Hebrew. Ehud attended the Lämel School in Jerusalem, continued his studies in Geneva, and later at an agricultural school in Germany. He also pursued agricultural studies in California.

Career

During World War I, while in Germany, Ehud volunteered for the German army and served as an aide to Franz von Papen when he was the German ambassador in Constantinople. In 1918, he was arrested and faced a military trial in Amman on charges of arms smuggling but was eventually acquitted. From 1919 to 1921, Ehud taught agriculture at the Mikveh Israel agricultural school and served as a government agriculture inspector in southern Palestine. Between 1925 and 1927, he worked as a police inspector in Jerusalem, Haifa, and Zikhron Ya'akov. Ehud founded the Association of Hebrew Hunters in Palestine, promoting the sport and operating a gun shop in Jerusalem. He was also an enthusiast of hunting dogs, serving as a trainer and chef.

Completion of the Ben-Yehuda Dictionary

After Eliezer Ben-Yehuda's death in December 1922, Ehud played a pivotal role in completing the monumental Ben-Yehuda Dictionary. He actively sought funding, edited, and published the remaining twelve volumes, collaborating with his mother, Hemda, and later with linguist Naftali Herz Tur-Sinai. Ehud traveled extensively to promote and distribute the dictionary, and in 1961, he published a pocket edition of the Hebrew-English Ben-Yehuda Dictionary.

Preserving Eliezer Ben-Yehuda's Legacy

Ehud was a gifted storyteller. During a storytelling evening at the Hammam Club, he met author Dvora Omer, who was inspired by his tales to write Habachor l'beit Av'i (Firstborn of the house of my father). He also lectured to schoolchildren about his father's mission to revive Hebrew, emphasizing its national significance. Ehud appeared in the film Ani Yerushalmi (I Am a Jerusalemite) and dedicated his later years to lecturing worldwide about his father's legacy. He was fluent in Hebrew, English, Russian, German, and Arabic. Ehud aspired to establish a museum dedicated to his father in the Talpiot neighborhood of Jerusalem, but this dream was not realized.

Personal Life

Ehud married Dora Rosenfeld, and they had two daughters, Eliezra and Hemda (who later became a professor of political science at Bar-Ilan University), and a son, Eliezer (later a rabbi in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Florida, buried in Kansas). He passed away in November 1982 and was buried in the Ben-Yehuda family plot on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. His tombstone bears the inscription: "Through his work, the Hebrew language dictionary was completed, and through his struggle, the dream 'Hebrew, speak Hebrew' was realized."

Photo Gallery

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  The hunting shop of Ehud Ben-Yehuda in Jerusalem
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  Ehud Ben-Yehuda and his colleague Moshe Bar-Nissim (his father's assistant) while working on the completion of the dictionary in Ben-Yehuda's house, Talpiot
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  A postcard from Ehud Ben-Yehuda's personal archive
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  Ehud Ben-Yehuda with his wife Dora (left) and sister Dola Ben-Yehuda Wittmann (right)