Pinhas Rutenberg

Pinhas Rutenberg
Pinhas Rutenberg c. 1940
Born	(1879-02-05)5 February 1879 Romny, north of Poltava, Russian Empire
Died	3 January 1942(1942-01-03) (aged 62) Jerusalem, Mandatory Palestine

Pinhas Rutenberg (Russian: Пётр Моисеевич Рутенберг, Pyotr Moiseyevich Rutenberg; Hebrew: פנחס רוטנברג: 5 February 1879 – 3 January 1942) was a Russian businessman, hydraulic engineer and political activist. He played an active role in two Russian revolutions, in 1905 and 1917. During World War I, he was among the founders of the Jewish Legion and of the American Jewish Congress. Later, he immigrated to Mandatory Palestine, and through his connections managed to obtain a concession for production and distribution of electric power and founded the Palestine Electric Corporation, currently the Israel Electric Corporation. A vocal and committed Zionist, Rutenberg also participated in establishing the Haganah, the main Jewish militia in pre-war Palestine, and founded Palestine Airways. He subsequently served as a president of the Jewish National Council.