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My Story
My name is Shmuel Rothbard and I'm an Israeli scientist working on Fish Reproduction and Genetics. In 1947, as a 14-years old Holocaust refugee, I crossed the post-war Europe, escaping from Poland, via Austria and Italy, and illegally immigrating (making "ALIYAH") to Israel. While being on a refugees boat I was captured by a British battle-cruiser in the Mediterranean Sea and imprisoned in a British camp in Cyprus, especially constructed for the Jewish refugees. Few months later I was released with a group of children and arrived to Israel in August 1947.
Since that time, Gan Shmuel, a kibbutz settlement located on the coastal plain of Israel, just on the middle way between Tel Aviv and Haifa, is my home. In 1951 I became my kibbutz membership. After 13 years of being a school teacher in the kibbutz school I have decided to change my profession into fish biology and fishery (see detailed CV)
In 1974 I was granted with a Japanese scholarship, starting a 2.5-years training in mariculture at the former SISSFA (at present JASFA) Tamano Center (Japan). After returning to Israel I started working as a fish biologist and aquaculturist in a governmental Fish Culture Research Station (at Dor). In 1981 I came back to kibbutz and joined the staff of the Gan Shmuel Fish Breeding Center as its director and chief biologist. In the meantime I have accomplished my formal studies (M.Sc. and Ph.D.) and was graduated by the Tel Aviv University. In 1989 I was active in establishing the YAFIT (R&D) Laboratory, a subsidiary of the Gan Shmuel Fish Breeding Center, where I'm working at present on genetic improvement of fish (Carps, Chinese carps, Koi, Tilapia, etc.). During my career in fishery I have published, as an author or as a co-author, around 80 scientific papers in English and 20 works in Hebrew.
The smiling man is me
(photo taken in 1997),
happy with a 15 kg Bighead-carp broodfish
In 2000 I wrote a book entitled "The Green Horsemen", based on my childhood during the World War II and Nazi's occupation in Cracov (Krakow), Poland. The book was published by the "MORESHET" (Heritage) Publication.
My Family
I am married to Fredzia and we have three adult children, Zahara (Zori), Hamutal (Hamuti) and Avi. Zahara, our first daughter is a professional potter (and mother of our two grand-daughters), Hamutal is a member of kibbutz Gan Shmuel and Avi is a jazz guitarist, graduated in 1999 from the Berklee College of Music (Boston, MA, USA) and is now an active jazz musician and guitarist, teaching music and performing in the NYC.
I like music, literature, science, traveling and mountain biking (and many more things).
