Moshe Novomeysky
Who was Moshe Novomeysky?
Israeli scientist (1873-1961)
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Moshe Novomeysky (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Moshe Novomeysky was born on 25 November 1873 in Barguzin, a small town in Siberia, Russia. With Jewish roots, he was influenced by his surroundings, which fueled his passion for using engineering skills in large industrial projects. He studied mining engineering at the University of Königsberg, a field that would shape his career path. He began his career in the mining industry in Siberia and Central Asia, gaining hands-on experience in extracting resources under tough conditions.
In the early 1900s, Novomeysky got involved in Zionist ideas and saw that Palestine had a lot of untapped mineral resources. He was especially interested in the Dead Sea, known for its rich deposits of potassium chloride, magnesium bromide, and other valuable salts and minerals. After conducting thorough studies of the Dead Sea area, he tirelessly lobbied the British authorities and eventually received permission to extract minerals from the Dead Sea.
In 1930, Novomeysky set up the Palestine Potash Company, launching operations on both the northern and southern shores of the Dead Sea. At Kalya in the north and Sodom in the south, the company extracted potash and bromide using evaporation and chemical processes. Setting up the business was a major task in British-ruled Palestine, requiring building roads, housing, and infrastructure in the harsh desert. The company hired both Jewish and Arab workers and became a major employer in the region during the 1930s and 1940s.
The 1948 Arab-Israeli War severely affected the Palestine Potash Company. The northern plant at Kalya was destroyed, and Novomeysky faced huge losses. However, the southern operations in Sodom survived and became the base for the Dead Sea Works, which was established by the new State of Israel and grew into a leading producer of potash and other minerals globally. Novomeysky was acknowledged as the industrial visionary who made it all possible.
Later in life, Novomeysky documented his experiences and the history of the Dead Sea venture, providing a personal view of building an industry under colonial rule and in a politically unstable area. He passed away on 27 March 1961 in Paris, having seen his business idea turn into a key part of Israel's economy. He is remembered as a pioneer of Israeli industry.
Before Fame
Growing up in Barguzin, a small settlement in the Lake Baikal region of Siberia, Novomeysky was in an area where natural resources and mining were key to the local economy. This likely gave him an early understanding of mining and geology. He chose to study at the University of Königsberg in Prussia, which had a strong European scientific tradition, at a time when mining engineering was becoming more professional.
After finishing his studies, Novomeysky spent years working in the mining industries of Siberia and Central Asia. He gained the technical know-how and management skills needed to plan and carry out a large industrial project. His interest in Zionism and belief that Jewish settlement in Palestine needed a strong economic foundation led him to explore the mineral potential of the Dead Sea. This body of water had intrigued scientists for centuries due to its unusual chemistry but had never been developed for industry.
Key Achievements
- Founded the Palestine Potash Company in 1930, the first industrial-scale operation to extract minerals from the Dead Sea
- Secured a mineral extraction concession from the British Mandatory government after more than a decade of negotiation and lobbying
- Established working industrial plants at Kalya and Sodom, creating significant employment and infrastructure in Mandatory Palestine
- Laid the industrial and logistical groundwork that directly led to the creation of the Dead Sea Works after Israeli statehood
- Pioneered the use of solar evaporation pans for large-scale potash extraction from hypersaline water in the region
Did You Know?
- 01.Novomeysky spent years lobbying British Mandatory authorities before finally receiving his Dead Sea mineral concession in 1929, a process that took well over a decade of persistent effort.
- 02.The Dead Sea is approximately ten times saltier than ordinary seawater, and Novomeysky's insight was that this extreme mineral concentration could be commercially exploited on an industrial scale.
- 03.The Palestine Potash Company's northern plant at Kalya was entirely destroyed during the 1948 war, representing a catastrophic loss of infrastructure that Novomeysky had spent years building.
- 04.Novomeysky was born in Barguzin, a Siberian town so remote that it had historically been used as a place of exile for political prisoners under the Tsarist regime.
- 05.He authored a memoir titled 'My Siberian Life and the Dead Sea' in which he documented both his early years in Russia and his industrial work in Palestine.