Aaron Aharonson (1876-1919)
 Agronomist,
botanist and founder of NILI.
The Aaronsohns were a family of pioneers who immigrated to Eretz Yisrael
from Romania in 1882. Their father, Ephraim Fischel, belonged to the founders
of Zichron Yaakov and was a talented farmer. Six of his children survived:
Aaron, Alexander, Sarah and Zvi, (who were born before the family left
Romania), Shmuel and Rivra were the only ones born in Zichron Yaakov to
survive.
Aaron was born in Bacau, Romania, in 1876 and was six when the family
immigrated to Eretz Yisrael.
As an adult, Baron Rothschild's administrators sent him to Grignon in
France, where he studied agriculture. In 1896, he took up the position
of agricultural instructor in Metullah, but refused to accept the bureaucracy
of the Rothschild administration and was dismissed.
After a short period spent in Anatolia, he returned to Zichron Yaakov
and opened an agricultural laboratory. He took part in various exploratory
studies in this area and neighboring countries, keeping extensive diaries
and writing numerous reports on their flora.
 The
discovery of wild wheat by Aaron Aaronsohn in 1906 in Rosh Pinah caused
a sensation in the botanical world. Aaronsohn thought that he had found
the "mother" of all kinds of wheat, but triticum dicocoides,
which he discovered growing wild, is probably the original strain that
yielded emmer wheat. Emmer wheat, or triticum dicoccum, has been planted
in Israel since ancient times and specimens have been found in excavations
in Eretz Yisrael and in Egyptian tombs. 
This discovery and his articles in European journals gained him scientific
acknowledgment and fame. In 1909, he went to the USA at the invitation
of the American Ministry of Agriculture. With the support of American
Jews, Aaronsohn founded an agricultural research station in Atlit, where
he built a rich library, collected geological and botanical samples and
inspected crops. He employed Arab workers and promoted their employment
on Jewish farms. This led to a serious dispute with the Yishuv, whose
Jewish laborers and teachers believed that they should cease to be dependent
on Arab workers and guards.
At the outbreak of the First World War, Aaronsohn joined a small committee
to help the residents of the war-torn country. In 1915, through his connections
to the United States, he distributed American financial assistance in
Eretz Yisrael.
One hot day between Purim and Passover of 1915, the desert wind from
the east brought clouds of locusts into the country. Aaronsohn was assigned
to fight the locusts in the Yishuv and Syria. The corruption he encountered
during his work with the Ottoman authorities; the persecution of Jewish
settlers and the Armenian massacre, convinced Aaronsohn that only liberation
from the Ottoman yoke would bring progress for the Jewish settlements
and the entire Yishuv.
With his assistant, Avshalom Feinberg, he organized a small group, which
originally consisted of family members and friends, known as NILI. Their
members informed British Headquarters in Egypt on Turkish army operations.
In 1916, Aaronsohn reached the British Secret Service via Copenhagen to
convince them of his plan. He was sent to Cairo to work for British Headquarters
and also visited London. Between February and September 1917, he was charged
with contacting British ships anchored at Atlit. He supplied information
for the British forces and was instrumental in planning the British invasion
of Palestine.
After the expulsion of the Jewish population from Yafo and Tel Aviv,
Aaronsohn tried to draw the world's attention to the Jews' situation.
His philanthropic organization also sent large amounts of money to the
Yishuv which was suffering economic distress because of the war. The Yishuv
accepted his financial assistance, but distanced itself from Aaronsohn's
espionage.
In 1917, Chaim Weizmann sent Aaronsohn on a political campaign to the
United States, where Aaronsohn heard that the Nili organization had been
uncovered by the Ottoman authorities and learned of the tragic death of
his sister Sarah.
In spring 1918, Aaronsohn returned to Palestine as a member of the Zionist
Commission and was later a member the Jewish delegation to the 1919 Paris
Peace Conference. On May 15th 1919, Aaronsohn was killed in an airplane
crash over the English Channel.
Much of Aaronsohn's work was only published posthumously.
Aharon Aaronsohn's family is survived by the descendants of Zvi and
Shmuel Aaronsohn.
Acknowledgement: With thanks to Zvi Ahronson and
the Aharonson Family for additional information.
Further References:
Biographies:
Homeward Bound (Central Zionist Archives) http://www.wzo.org.il/home/portrait/aron.htm
Bet Hatefutsoth http://www.bh.org.il/Names/POW/aaronsohn.asp
Other references:
http://www.drykor.com/atlit.html
and file nili.html
Stamp image: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~szwetch/Stamps.of.Israel/A.Aaronsohn.stamp.JPEG
Aaronsohn House Museum 972-4-6390120
Rehov Hameyasdim 40, Zichron Yaacov
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