Avraham Arnon

Avraham Arnon (Hebrew: אברהם ארנון; born 1887, died 24 May 1960) was an Israeli educator and a recipient of the Israel Prize.

Biography

Arnon was born in 1887 in Cherykaw in the Russian Empire (now in Belarus). His family later moved to the city of Polotsk, where he received his primary education. In 1909, he was accepted by the High School for Trade and Economics in Kiev. After graduating in 1914, he travelled to the United States and the United Kingdom to continue his pedagogal studies.

Arnon then emigrated to Mandate Palestine, becoming one of the first academic teachers in the country. For 17 years he taught geography and mathematics at schools in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and was headmaster of Lämel School in Jerusalem from 1920 to 1930. During this period, he also became active in the Teachers' Union and was elected chairman of its central committee.

He was appointed as a school inspector in 1930. Following the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, he was appointed head inspector of general stream schools. On the establishment of the Ministry of Education and Culture under minister Zalman Shazar, Arnon was appointed assistant director of the ministry. Until his retirement, he continued to serve in various key public positions in the sphere of state education, including Chief General Inspector from 1954 to 1955.

Awards and honours

• In 1960, Arnon was awarded the Israel Prize, in education, shortly before his death.
• The "Arnon" School in Ramat Gan and Tel Aviv is named after him.

See also

• List of Israel Prize recipients