Benzion Netanyahu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Benzion Netanyahu
Born	Benzion Mileikowsky (1910-03-25)March 25, 1910 Warsaw, Congress Poland, Russian Empire
Died	April 30, 2012(2012-04-30) (aged 102) Jerusalem, Israel
Nationality	Israeli
Education	Hebrew University of Jerusalem (MA) Dropsie College (PhD)
Occupation	Encyclopedist, historian, medievalist
Spouse(s)	Tzila Segal ​ ​ (m. 1944; died 2000)​
Children	Yonatan Benjamin Iddo
Parent(s)	Rabbi Nathan Mileikowsky Sarah (Lurie) Mileikowsky
Relatives	Elisha Netanyahu (brother) Nathan Netanyahu (nephew)

Benzion Netanyahu (born Benzion Mileikowsky; March 25, 1910 – April 30, 2012) was an important Israeli historian and scholar. He was born in Poland and later moved to Israel. He was known for his deep knowledge of Jewish history, especially the history of Jews in Spain.

Netanyahu was also a professor of history at Cornell University in the United States. He worked as an editor for the Hebrew Encyclopedia. He was the father of Benjamin Netanyahu, who became the Prime Minister of Israel. His other sons were Yonatan Netanyahu, a military commander, and Iddo Netanyahu, a doctor and writer.

Life Story

Benzion Mileikowsky was born in Warsaw, which was then part of the Russian Empire. His father, Nathan Mileikowsky, was a rabbi and a strong supporter of Zionism. Zionism is the movement that supported the creation and development of a Jewish state in the land of Israel.

In 1920, when Benzion was 10, his family moved to Mandatory Palestine, which is now Israel. Many Jewish families moved there at that time. They changed their last name to Netanyahu, which is a Hebrew name. This was a common practice for Zionist immigrants. The family lived in different cities before settling in Jerusalem.

Benzion Netanyahu studied at a teachers' college and later at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Even though his father was a rabbi, Benzion was not religious. His younger brother, Elisha Netanyahu, became a famous mathematician.

In 1944, Benzion Netanyahu married Tzila Segal. They had three sons:

• Yonatan Netanyahu (1946–1976): He was a commander in the Israeli army and died during a famous rescue mission called Operation Entebbe.
• Benjamin Netanyahu (born 1949): He became the Prime Minister of Israel multiple times.
• Iddo Netanyahu (born 1952): He is a doctor, writer, and playwright.

The family lived in Jerusalem. Tzila Netanyahu passed away in 2000.

Working for a Jewish State

Benzion Netanyahu studied medieval history at Hebrew University. During his studies, he became involved in Revisionist Zionism. This was a group of Zionists who believed in a stronger, more active approach to creating a Jewish state. They felt that the main Zionist groups were too soft with the British rulers of Palestine.

Netanyahu worked as an editor for Revisionist Zionist newspapers and publications in the 1930s.

In 1940, he moved to New York City in the United States. He worked to gain American support for the idea of a Jewish state. He became a leader of the New Zionist Organization of America. He stayed in this role until 1948, the year Israel was founded.

While in the U.S., he also earned his PhD degree from Dropsie College in Philadelphia. His studies focused on Isaac Abarbanel, a Jewish scholar who lived in Spain a long time ago.

Netanyahu strongly believed in a large, secure Jewish state. He worked hard to convince American politicians to support the creation of Israel.

His Work as a Historian

After returning to Israel in 1949, Benzion Netanyahu continued his academic work. He became a chief editor for the “Encyclopaedia Hebraica”, a large Hebrew encyclopedia.

He also taught at several universities in the United States, including Dropsie College, the University of Denver, and Cornell University. He was a professor of Jewish studies and history.

Netanyahu was very interested in the history of Jews in Spain, especially during the Spanish Inquisition. The Inquisition was a period when many Jews in Spain were forced to convert to Christianity or leave the country. These converts were called Marranos.

Netanyahu wrote important books and essays on this topic. His most famous book is Origins of the Inquisition in Fifteenth Century Spain. In this book, he suggested a new idea: he believed that many Marranos converted to Christianity because they wanted to fit into Christian society, not always because they were forced. However, even after converting, they were still treated badly because of their Jewish background, not just for religious reasons. He argued that the Spanish monarchy started defining Jews by their "purity of blood" (their race) rather than just their religion. This was a new and harsh idea at the time.

His work changed how many historians understood the Inquisition. He believed that Jewish history was often a story of great challenges and struggles.

Netanyahu was a member of several important academic groups. He also helped write two major English encyclopedias about Jewish history: the "Encyclopedia Judaica" and "The World History of the Jewish People." In 2001, he received an honorary doctorate degree from a university in Spain.

Later Life and Death

Benzion Netanyahu passed away on April 30, 2012, in his home in Jerusalem. He was 102 years old. He left behind two of his sons, seven grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren.

Awards

• 1995: National Jewish Book Award for his book The Origins of the Inquisition.

Published Works

• Don Isaac Abravanel: Statesman and philosopher, 1953.
• Toward the Inquisition: Essays on Jewish and Converso History in Late Medieval Spain, 1997.
• The Marranos of Spain: From the Late XIVth to the Early XVIth Century, 1966.
• The Origins of the Inquisition in Fifteenth Century Spain, 1995.
• The Founding Fathers of Zionism, 2012.