Scienceשמואל סטולר

Shmuel Stoller

Shmuel Stoller was an Israeli agronomist who developed irrigation and new crop varieties in the Jordan Valley and received the Israel Prize in 1965.

1898 to 1977Jordan Valley irrigation methodsNew banana, date and vine varietiesFounding Bet Yerah Agricultural School

Born: 15 August 1898, Moscow
Died: 6 March 1977, Israel
Occupation: agronomist

Shmuel Stoller was born in 1898 in Moscow

Stoller was born in Moscow in 1898. In 1915 he finished high school and began studying history and linguistics at Moscow State University.

He was drafted into the Russian imperial army in February 1917. After the October Revolution he deserted and moved with his family to Crimea, where he studied agriculture and natural sciences in Simferopol.

In 1920 he married Yonah, and the couple moved to the Land of Israel. They joined Gdud HaAvoda as part of a group led by Yitzhak Sadeh. He worked on road building and later joined Kvutzat Kinneret.

From 1938 he headed the Jordan Valley experiments committee, working on irrigation methods, irrigated farming and orchards. He brought in and adapted new varieties of bananas, dates and vines. In 1946 he helped found the Bet Yerah Agricultural School and served as its director.

He received the Israel Prize for agriculture in 1965. He and Yonah had 3 sons and 5 daughters and lived at Kinneret. He died in 1977 and was buried in the Kinneret Cemetery.