- Zev Vilnay
Zev Vilnay (Vilensky) (1900-1988) was anIsrael igeographer , author and lecturer.Biography
Zev Vilnay was born in
Kishinev . He moved toPalestine with his parents at the age of six and grew up inHaifa . He served as a militarytopographer in theHaganah , and later in theIsrael Defense Forces . "Encyclopedia Judaica", "Zev Vilnay," Keter Publishing, Jerusalem, 1972, vol. 16, p. 151] Vilnay and his wife Esther lived inJerusalem . Their son,Matan Vilnai is a member of theKnesset [ [http://www.jnf.org/site/PageServer?JServSessionIdr006=44e1hl9ky2.app20a&pagename=pr_Preserve Jewish National Fund: Thousands Support JNF-KKL's Battle to Preserve Open Spaces in Jerusalem ] ] and Israel's deputy minister of defense.Land of Israel studies
He was a pioneer in the sphere of outdoor hiking and touring in Israel. Vilnay lectured widely on Israeli geography, ethnography, history and folklore. His "Guide to Israel" was published in 27 editions [ [http://www.israeli-books.com/the_vilnay_guide_to_israel.asp The Vilnay Guide to Israel 2 vols ] ] and translated into many languages. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE1DD1F39F930A15752C0A96E948260 Zev Vilnay, Geographer, 87 - New York Times ] ]
In the 1974 edition of his guide, Vilnay describes how he helped bring back to Israel the boat of a British naval officer, Thomas Howard Molyneux, who sailed the Jordan River from
Lake Kinneret to theDead Sea to map the region in the 19th century. [ [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/919876.html 19th-century British explorer's boat returns to Dead Sea - Haaretz - Israel News ] ]Published works in English
*"Legends of Palestine" (1932)
*"The Guide to Israel" (first published in 1955)
*"The Holy Land in Old Prints and Maps" (1965)
*"The New Israel Atlas: Bible to Present Day" (1968)
*"Legends of Jerusalem" (3 volumes)
*"Legends of Judea and Samaria"The Vilnay Guide to Israel
*"The Vilnay Guide to Israel: A new Millennium Edition (2 volumes) (1999)Published works in Hebrew
*"Enziklopediya Liyidiat Haaretz" (3 volumes) (1956)
*"Yerushalayim" (2 volumes) (1960-62, 1970)
*"Tel Aviv-Jaffa" (1965)
*"Yehudah Veshomron" (1968)
*"Sinai, Avar Vehoveh" (1969)
*"Golan Vehermon" (1970)
*"Matzevot Kodesh Be'eretz Yisrael" (1963)
*"Eretz Yisrael Betmunot Atikot" (1961)References
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