HOS, DOV

HOS, DOV (1894–1940), labor leader in Ereẓ Israel. Born in Orsha, Belorussia, of a Zionist family, Hos married the daughter of the *Bilu settler Jacob Shertok. He went to Ereẓ Israel with his parents in 1906 and was among the first graduates of the Herzlia High School in Jaffa (1913). Under the influence of Berl *Katznelson, he joined the labor movement. Upon the outbreak of World War i, he – together with Eliyahu *Golomb and others – founded the "Jaffa Group," which began military training in preparation for future events. Upon the advice of the yishuv leaders, he volunteered for the Turkish army, where he became an officer, but his activities in defending Jewish settlements led to his being accused of a breach of military discipline. He was condemned to death in absentia, but escaped. In 1918 he volunteered for the *Jewish Legion of the British army. In 1919 he joined the founders of the *Ahdut ha-Avodah Party, became a member of its executive committee, and was active in the *Histadrut and the *Haganah. He was a founder of the Public Works Office of the Histadrut (later renamed Solel Boneh). Hos represented the yishuv vis-à-vis the mandatory authorities and was on several occasions sent to Great Britain as a contact with the British labor movement. He was a pilot and a pioneer of aviation in Palestine. A member of the Tel Aviv municipal council, he was a deputy mayor of the city between 1935 and 1940. At the outbreak of World War ii he worked for the formation of Jewish units in the British army. Together with his wife and daughter, he was fatally injured in a road accident. Kibbutz *Dorot is named for Hos and his family, and he is also commemorated in the name of Tel Aviv's airfield, Sedeh Dov.

bibliography:

Tidhar, 3 (1949), 1336–38.

[Encycylopaedia Hebraica]