Agron (Agronsky), Gershon
AGRON (Agronsky), GERSHON
AGRON (Agronsky ), GERSHON (1894–1959), Israeli journalist and mayor of Jerusalem. Agron was born in Mena, Ukraine, and was brought to the United States as a child. During World War i he served with the *Jewish Legion in Palestine. In 1920–21 he was employed by the Zionist Commission press bureau. From 1921 to 1924 Agron was editor of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency and correspondent for international press agencies, for the London Times, and for the Manchester Guardian. In 1932 he founded the English-language daily Palestine Post (from 1950 The*Jerusalem Post), which served to convey Zionist aspirations to the British in Palestine and provided the local population with news from outside Palestine, especially from the Middle East. An emissary for the Zionist Organization on several occasions, Agron was a member of the Jewish Agency delegation to the un conference at San Francisco in 1945. He was director of the Israel Government Information Services from 1949 to 1951. As mayor of Jerusalem from 1955 to 1959, Agron was instrumental in the expansion and development of the new city. His diaries and letters appear in Asir ha-Ne'emanut ("Prisoner of Trustworthiness," 1964), published by S. Shapiro.
bibliography:
Tidhar, 2 (1947), 960f.; H.M. Sachar, Aliyah: The Peoples of Israel (1961), 39–70.
[Semah Cecil Hyman]