David Tidhar

David Tidhar
David Tidhar (before 1950)
Native name	Hebrew: דוד תדהר
Born	David Tidhar June 7, 1897 Jaffa, Palestine
Died	December 15, 1970(1970-12-15) (aged 73)
Nationality	Israeli
Genre	Detective fiction Encyclopedia
Notable works	Encyclopedia of the Founders and Builders of Israel (19 vol.)
Signature

David Tidhar (Hebrew: דוד תדהר; 7 June 1897 – 15 December 1970) was a Jewish-Israeli police officer, private detective and author, widely known as “the first Hebrew detective”.

Biography

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Tidhar was born in Jaffa, and served in the Jewish Legion and post-war in Palestine Police Force in Jerusalem. In 1926 he left the force and established his own private investigation office in Tel Aviv, which he ran for decades.

This attracted the notice of author Shlomo Ben-Yisrael, who founded The Detective Library in 1930, a series of chapbooks which featured the adventures of David Tidhar: The First Hebrew Detective. These were perhaps the first example of genuine mystery fiction published in Israel (then Mandatory Palestine) and brought Tidhar (whose picture adorned the covers) much publicity. The series ran 1930-1932 and some 28 volumes. Tidhar later withdrew his name, following which the series continued with the adventures of a new, fictional Hebrew Detective.

In 1927 he moved to Egypt out of fear that his criticism of the Mandate Police would bring his arrest, and for several years he lived in Cairo. In 1931 he returned to Palestine and worked as Head of the Private Investigation Office.

In 1934 he purchased land and built a four-story stone house where the Geha Interchange is currently located. A year later the country had a serious economic crisis following the Second Italy-Ethiopian War and Tidhar had to sell the building at half price to return his debts. The purchaser, Dr. Beitan, founded the Geha Hospital instead of giving the Geha junction his name. In 1974, the house was destroyed to allow the expansion of the intersection and create the Geha Interchange.

Tidhar went on to edit the monumental 19-volume Encyclopedia of the Founders and Builders of Israel; a non-fiction study of crime in Palestine; and an autobiography. He is, however, best remembered for the Detective Library, individual volumes of which have since become collectors' items.

For some time, Uri Avnery served as an assistant in his office.

Tidhar was in the business of encouraging sports, mainly within the Maccabi Organization (now Maccabi World Union). He also wrote one of the first books dealing with the history of the Association.

He was a member of the Berkai Bureau of the Freemasonry Organization and wrote some of the first Hebrew books on the history of the organization in Palestine.

Personal Life

He was married to Rebecca Tidhar and had a son and daughter.

Death

He died on December 15, 1970 and was buried at Kiryat Shaul Cemetery.

In modern fiction

• The figure of David Tidhar appears several times in the works of author Lavie Tidhar (no relation), notably in the stories "The Projected Girl" (in Naked City, ed. Ellen Datlow, 2011)^[1] and "The Time Slip Detective" (in Tel Aviv Noir, ed. Etgar Keret and Assaf Gavron, 2014).^[2]

References

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