Abba Ne'eman — Association of Jews of Vilna and vicinity in Israel

Abba Ne’eman (also spelled Neiman; born 1872, Lithuania, Russian Empire – died November 20, 1960 Tel Aviv) was an Israeli industrialist and inventor, and one of the founders of Tel Aviv.

Abba Ne’eman was born in 1872 in Aleksotas, near Kovno (Kaunas), Lithuania, then part of the Jewish Pale of Settlement in the Russian Empire. He was the son of Ze’ev Aryeh, a Torah scholar from a family of rabbis. He received a traditional Jewish education in a heder and yeshivas. As a young man, he was drawn to the Hovevei Zion (Lovers of Zion) movement, and in 1890, he immigrated to Israel with his brother Yitzhak.

Ne’eman did not receive a formal education but learned through work and experience. His first endeavor in Israel was establishing a letter engraving workshop in Jaffa with his brother. There, they engraved tombstones, produced stamps, painted signs, and more. He later worked at Leon Stein's iron foundry, where he learned metal casting and mechanics. He applied this knowledge at the Rishon LeZion winery, where he worked on installing pumps, and began specializing in the installation, improvement, and manufacture of pumps.

In 1894, Ne’eman prepared the set design for the first amateur theatrical production in Israel—Abraham Goldfaden’s play Shulamit, performed in the Stein factory hall in Neve Tzedek. That same year, he and his brother participated in forming the first orchestra.

In 1900, he founded the Abba Ne’eman Pumps Ltd. factory, which manufactured and improved engines and pumps used in agriculture and citrus orchards—then booming industries in the region. He was also an active member of the B'nai B'rith lodge and the "Action Society" (Agudat Pe'ula), which worked to prevent emigration from  Israel.

He married Sarah, daughter of Zerah Alter and Yocheved Mushli, among the first residents of Neve Tzedek and a noted public activist. Sarah served as the president of the Tel Aviv chapter of Bnot B'rith (the women's division of B'nai B'rith). In 1909, she and Abba were members of the Ahuzat Bayit association, which established Tel Aviv. In the land lottery of Ahuzat Bayit, they drew the plot at 19 Lilienblum Street and built their home there. Sarah opened a store named Sarah Ne’eman, donated to the association for aiding the mentally ill and the Bloshtein orphanage, and took part in founding the vocational school for women run by the Hebrew Women’s Organization. She also supported women’s organizations promoting the Hebrew language.

Abba Ne’eman installed the first electric generator in early Tel Aviv, at the Eden Cinema. During World War I, when there was a shortage of oil, he adapted the engine to run on coal. During the war, he and his wife helped support the residents and deportees of Tel Aviv.

Sarah Ne’eman passed away in 1953 and was buried in the Trumpeldor Cemetery. After her death, Abba turned to painting and became a prolific artist during the final six years of his life, until his death in 1960 at age 89. He was buried beside his wife in the Trumpeldor Cemetery.

Three of his grandchildren were awarded the Israel Prize:

• His grandson (son of his son Gedalia), Yuval Ne’eman, was a physicist and politician.

• His granddaughter (daughter of Gedalia), Ruth Ben-Israel, was a prominent legal scholar.

• Another grandson (son of his daughter Dina and her husband Yizhar Harari), Haim Harari, is a physicist and former president of the Weizmann Institute of Science.

His great-granddaughter is the writer Merav Ben-Israel, and his great-great-grandson (grandson of his grandson) is the comedian Yarmi Sheik-Blum.

From: Wikipedia (Hebrew)