Maccoby, Ḥayyim Zundel
MACCOBY, ḤAYYIM ZUNDEL
MACCOBY, ḤAYYIM ZUNDEL (1858–1916), Zionist preacher, one of the first members of Ḥovevei Zion (see *Ḥibbat Zion) in England. Born near Kobrin, Poland, Maccoby decided to become a preacher when he discovered his oratorical talents, and he attracted many followers. In 1873 he was accepted as the preacher of Kamenets and from that time on was called "The Maggid from Kamenets." In 1875 he left Kamenets and was a preacher in several places until he became the first regular preacher of the Ḥibbat Zion movement, in 1883. In this office he traversed Russia, Lithuania, and Poland. About 300 societies for the settlement of Ereẓ Israel were founded because of his influence and in spite of the opposition of many rabbis. In 1890 he left Russia for England, where he also attracted large audiences to his sermons and was thus a pioneer of the Hibbat Zion movement in the country. Maccoby was one of the strongest opponents of *Herzl for religious reasons. In 1929 a collection of his sermons entitled Hayyim was published with a detailed biography.
bibliography:
H.R. Rabinowitz, Deyokena'ot shel Dar shanim (1967), 297–303; ezd, 3 (1965), 501–5; Ha-Ma'or (Sept. 1966–Dec. (1967); M. Temkin, in: Jewish Review (Feb. 3/Mar. 3, 1971).
[Getzel Kressel]