Greenstein, Chaim Zvi

Son of Esther and Ze’ev Aryeh. He was born on March 27, 1777 in the Mikveh Israel agricultural school. His father was one of the first five students at the school and was then a teacher and secretary. His parents were among the first settlers of Petach Tikvah and as a child he lived with them in the sukkah on the banks of the Yarkon River under very difficult conditions. From there the family moved to Jaffa, then to Yehudia, with the rest of Petah Tikva, and finally to Petah Tikva’s new and permanent location. His parents were among the participants in the defense of Petah Tikva in its early days, when there were fights between the settlers and their Arab neighbors. His mother, who was known by the cities “Sith Esther”, was known for her courage and took an active part in the provocations. Haim Tzvi studied in the cheder until he reached Bar Mitzvah age. Due to the death of his mother, his father moved to the Mikveh Israel agricultural school. Three years later, at the end of his studies, he returned to his settlement in Petach Tikvah, where he worked in agriculture, mainly in felda cultivation, with many difficulties of existence. Haim Zvi stood beside the “old guard” Avraham Shapira, along with him took part in the protection of the colonies attacked and between the two were in love. On the 27th of Nisan 5721 (May 5, 1921), during the bloody riots that took place in Petah Tikva, the surrounding Arabs attacked Petah Tikva, and Haim Tzvi also participated in the retreat of the defenders to the outskirts of the settlement, together with his friend Avshalom Gissin , A 44-year-old man who was laid to rest in the Petah Tikva cemetery, and left a wife, two daughters and three sons, the title of the book “Petah Tikva – Em hamoshavot.” In the book Tidhar II.