On This Day in Jewish History: October 23, 1889
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#onthisday, 1889, Jewish spy Avshalom Feinberg, who helped the British defeat the Ottomans alongside the Jewish underground organization, NILI, during WWI, was born in Gedera.
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As a student, Feinberg studied in France, before returning to his birthplace of what was then Ottoman-occupied Palestine to work as an agronomist.
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His employer, Aaron Aaronsohn, went on to co-found NILI with the other Aaronsohn siblings at the start of WWI.
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NILI (Netzah Yisrael Lo Yeshaker, which translates to “The Eternal One of Israel Will Not Lie”) was a secret underground espionage network that supported the British in their fight to invade and remove the Ottoman Empire.
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The outbreak of WWI resulted in the deportation and oppression of the Ottoman Empire’s Jewish residents, which motivated NILI to act.
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Since the Land of Israel was under Turkish control at this time, overthrowing the Turks would theoretically pave the way for the establishment of Israel and the advancement of the ancient Zionist dream.
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Feinberg was a founding member of NILI. Soon after joining the group in 1915, he was sent to Egypt where he made contact with British Naval Intelligence and attempted to renew connections with them.
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Two years later, he made another journey to Egypt, which would unknowingly be his last.
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He was reportedly killed by Bedouins near Rafah in the Gaza Strip on the return journey from Egypt. However, until the Six Day War, he had been classified as missing in action.
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Before his death, Feinberg was reportedly engaged to Sarah Aaronsohn, sister of Aaron and fellow NILI co-founder.
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Feinberg and Sarah were the two NILI members who died due to Turkish actions, although Sarah took her own life following torture by the Turks.
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Feinberg’s remains were found in 1967 under a palm tree that had sprouted from dates left in his pocket.
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To commemorate his work, an Israeli settlement in the Sinai Peninsula was named Avshalom after him. When this settlement was abandoned following the Camp David Accords, a new one was established in Israel for which he was the namesake.
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