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Eliyahu Kitov

Eliyahu Kitov was a Haredi rabbi, educator, journalist and writer, known for his book Sefer HaToda'ah.

1912 to 1976Sefer HaToda'ahCo-founding the PAGI movementEditing the newspaper HaKol

Born: 22 March 1912, Warsaw
Died: 7 February 1976, Jerusalem
Occupation: rabbi, writer, journalist, newspaper editor
Party: PAGI

Eliyahu Kitov was born in 1912 in Warsaw

Kitov was born Avraham Eliyahu Mokotow in Warsaw in 1912, to Michel and Rachel. His father was a Hasid and a student of Rabbi Zadok HaCohen of Lublin. The family moved to Opole Lubelskie, where he studied in a cheder and a beis midrash, learning mostly from his father.

At 17 he returned to Warsaw. He studied, did manual labor and worked for Agudath Israel of Poland, teaching Talmud, Bible and Jewish thought. He also volunteered in secular Jewish schools and was sent to study education with Janusz Korczak.

He married Hinda Rivka, sister of Alexander Zusha Friedman, and moved to the Land of Israel in 1936, where he worked in construction. He joined Poalei Agudat Yisrael and later helped found PAGI, editing its newspaper HaKol. In 1941 he founded the Haredi boys' school Shiloh and ran it for about 8 years.

He headed the Haredi List in the 1949 elections and another list in 1951, and neither won a seat. In 1954 he left politics to write full time. He founded a small publishing house and spent his last years writing and editing. He died in 1976 and was buried at Har HaMenuchot.