Shlomo Ne'eman and Moshe Moskowitz
Shlomo Ne'eman and Moshe MoskowitzGush Etzion Regional Council

Moshe (Moshko) Moskowitz, one of the leaders of the revival of the Jewish community in Gush Etzion, passed away on Saturday night at the age of 96.

Moskowitz was one of the founders of the Har Etzion Yeshiva, one of the founders of Alon Shvut and Efrat and was even also the first head of the local council of Efrat. In addition, he was among the initiators of the establishment of the Tzomet Institute.

Moskowitz was born in 1925 in Czechoslovakia, and made Aliyah to Israel with his parents when he was 10 years old. His life work began even before the state was established when he was a member of the nucleus of Kibbutz Masu'ot Yitzhak, which was established in Gush Etzion in 1945.

He later began educational activities and went on a shlichut in the detention camps in Cyprus, with the aim of assisting illegal immigrants and preparing them for immigration to Israel.

After re-establishing Kibbutz Masu'ot Yitzhak within the boundaries of the Shafir Regional Council, he was elected to the position of head of the council, at the age of 27, and served in that position from 1952-1979.

After three years, he laid the cornerstone for the town of Efrat, where he also served as the first head of the council from 1982-1986.

Nir Orbach, Director-General of the Jewish Home, paid tribute to Moskowitz on his Twitter account and wrote, "Moshko has passed away. One of the greatest giants of the generation of revival. A man of Torah and work in the full sense of the word. Baruch Dayan Emet.”