Shazar, << shah ZAHR >> Schneor Zalman (1889-1974), served as president of Israel from 1963 to 1973. He devoted much of his life to the cause of Zionism (formation of a Jewish state).
Shazar was born Schneor Zalman Rubashov in Minsk, in what is now Belarus. He formed Shazar from letters in his name. He became a Zionist in 1905, and started a German Zionist movement in 1916, while studying in Germany. Shazar settled in Palestine in 1924. As co-founder and editor of Davar, a Labor Zionist daily newspaper, he helped build the power of the Israeli labor government. Israel became a nation in 1948. Shazar held several government posts and helped shape Israel into a modern nation. He wrote on history, literature, politics, religion, and other subjects.
