PUKHACHEWSKY, MICHAEL ZALMAN

PUKHACHEWSKY, MICHAEL ZALMAN (1863–1947), pioneer of Jewish agriculture in Ereẓ Israel. He was born in Brest-Litovsk in 1885. Pukhachewsky was one of six young men chosen by Ḥovevei Zion in Russia (at Baron Edmond de Rothschild's\>\> suggestion) to specialize in agriculture in the Baron's settlements and become agricultural instructors for settlers. He established a farm in Rishon le-Zion and worked for many years as an agricultural instructor, specializing in viticulture in the Jordan Valley, the Jezreel Valley, and other areas. He published articles in Palestinian agricultural journals and wrote his memoirs on the early days of Jewish settlement (Bustanai, 1 (1929/30), nos. 6–44). His wife, NEḤAMAH (1869–1934), was a writer active in the public life of Palestine. She joined Ḥovevei Zion at the age of 17 and went to Ereẓ Israel together with her husband. She wrote essays under the pen name Nefesh. -BIBLIOGRAPHY: Tidhar, 3 (1958), 1281–82. (Yehuda Slutsky)