Michael Harsegor
Encyclopedia
Michael Harsegor was an Israel
i historian
and a professor
of history
at the Tel Aviv University
. Harsegor's expertise was in the history of Europe in the late Middle Ages
.
into a Jewish family who were refugees from the October Revolution
in Russia who settled in Romania
. Early on, Harsegor's parents had the desire to give him a Western education and therefore his family moved to France
. The economic crisis of 1929 damaged his father's business and therefore in 1933 his family returned to Romania. Harsegor's family intended to immigrate to the Land of Israel but this proved impossible during World War II
. His entire family perished in the Holocaust. Because he was a member of the Socialist–Zionist youth movement Hashomer Hatzair
the Romanian fascist authorities sentenced him to 20 years of imprisonment with hard labor. Harsegor ended up working in the printing press of the prison. In 1944 he was released from prison, and continued to be active in the Hashomer Hatzair youth movement.
In 1946, after being active in gathering Jewish teenagers in Romania and facilitating their immigration to Palestine
, he himself immigrated to Palestine. The British authorities in Palestine limited the Jewish immigration quota at that time and all the passengers on the ship taking him to Palestine were seized imprisoned in camps in Cyprus
. They were released in early 1949 after the establishment of the State of Israel. In Cyprus Harsegor changed his name from Goldberg to Harsegor.
Harsegor was a member of Kibbutz Zikim
and was the person who gave the kibbutz its name. Harsegor was a member of the Israeli Communist Party Maki
and worked as a reporter for the Moscow Hebrew newspaper Kol HaAm
. At that time he met his wife Tamar, and his daughter Niva was born.
Harsegor began his academic studies at the Tel Aviv University. He excelled in his Bachelor's degree and therefore the Tel Aviv University sent him to France to continue his studies. Harsegor studied in France for six years. For his academic achievement Harsegor was awarded the degree of Docteur d'État, a degree which is usually not awarded to foreigners. Between 1962 and 1966 Harsegor taught history in the Municipal High School Ironi D in Tel Aviv.
In 1974, Harsegor was in Lisbon
during the Carnation Revolution
, and as a result, the history of Portugal became one of his major topics of interest.
For more than twenty years, Harsegor hosted the regularly weekly seven o'clock evening program "Sha'a Historit" (History Hour) on the Galatz radio station, along with the Israeli radio broadcaster Alex Ansky.
Harsegor died on 10 February 2011 at the age of 86 in the city of Kfar Saba
due to kidney disease.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and a professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
at the Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University is a public university located in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel. With nearly 30,000 students, TAU is Israel's largest university.-History:...
. Harsegor's expertise was in the history of Europe in the late Middle Ages
Late Middle Ages
The Late Middle Ages was the period of European history generally comprising the 14th to the 16th century . The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern era ....
.
Biography
Harsegor was born Michael Goldberg in BucharestBucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
into a Jewish family who were refugees from the October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
in Russia who settled in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. Early on, Harsegor's parents had the desire to give him a Western education and therefore his family moved to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The economic crisis of 1929 damaged his father's business and therefore in 1933 his family returned to Romania. Harsegor's family intended to immigrate to the Land of Israel but this proved impossible during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. His entire family perished in the Holocaust. Because he was a member of the Socialist–Zionist youth movement Hashomer Hatzair
Hashomer Hatzair
Hashomer Hatzair is a Socialist–Zionist youth movement founded in 1913 in Galicia, Austria-Hungary, and was also the name of the group's political party in the Yishuv in the pre-1948 British Mandate of Palestine...
the Romanian fascist authorities sentenced him to 20 years of imprisonment with hard labor. Harsegor ended up working in the printing press of the prison. In 1944 he was released from prison, and continued to be active in the Hashomer Hatzair youth movement.
In 1946, after being active in gathering Jewish teenagers in Romania and facilitating their immigration to Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
, he himself immigrated to Palestine. The British authorities in Palestine limited the Jewish immigration quota at that time and all the passengers on the ship taking him to Palestine were seized imprisoned in camps in Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
. They were released in early 1949 after the establishment of the State of Israel. In Cyprus Harsegor changed his name from Goldberg to Harsegor.
Harsegor was a member of Kibbutz Zikim
Zikim
Zikim is a kibbutz in the southern Israel. Located in the northern Negev desert, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hof Ashkelon Regional Council. In 2006, it had a population of 385....
and was the person who gave the kibbutz its name. Harsegor was a member of the Israeli Communist Party Maki
Maki (historical political party)
Maki was a communist political party in Israel. It is not the same party as the modern day Maki, which split from it during the 1960s and later assumed its name.-History:...
and worked as a reporter for the Moscow Hebrew newspaper Kol HaAm
Kol HaAm
Kol HaAm was a Hebrew language newspaper in Mandate Palestine and Israel, owned by the Israeli Communist Party.-History:Established in 1937, the paper appointed Communist Party member Esther Vilenska editor in 1943, and chief editor in 1947...
. At that time he met his wife Tamar, and his daughter Niva was born.
Harsegor began his academic studies at the Tel Aviv University. He excelled in his Bachelor's degree and therefore the Tel Aviv University sent him to France to continue his studies. Harsegor studied in France for six years. For his academic achievement Harsegor was awarded the degree of Docteur d'État, a degree which is usually not awarded to foreigners. Between 1962 and 1966 Harsegor taught history in the Municipal High School Ironi D in Tel Aviv.
In 1974, Harsegor was in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
during the Carnation Revolution
Carnation Revolution
The Carnation Revolution , also referred to as the 25 de Abril , was a military coup started on 25 April 1974, in Lisbon, Portugal, coupled with an unanticipated and extensive campaign of civil resistance...
, and as a result, the history of Portugal became one of his major topics of interest.
For more than twenty years, Harsegor hosted the regularly weekly seven o'clock evening program "Sha'a Historit" (History Hour) on the Galatz radio station, along with the Israeli radio broadcaster Alex Ansky.
Harsegor died on 10 February 2011 at the age of 86 in the city of Kfar Saba
Kfar Saba
Kfar Saba , officially Kfar Sava, is a city in the Sharon region, of the Center District of Israel. At the end of 2009, Kfar Saba had a total population of 83,600.-History:...
due to kidney disease.