Aaron Samuel Tamares (1869-1931) was a rabbi, writer, and philosopher. Born near Maltsh in the district of Grodno, Tamares became known as the prodigy from Maltsh. Upon the death of his father-in-law (1893), he inherited his post as rabbi in the village of Milejczyce (Grodno district), which he occupied until his death. With the emergence of political Zionism, Tamares joined the new movement and responded to rabbinical opposition in a series of articles. He said that the religious leadership of the people was becoming petrified and incapable of moving with the spirit of the times; this, he argued, was the reason for its loss of mass support. Tamares participated in the Fourth Zionist Congress in 1900 but returned disillusioned with Zionism, especially its political aspects. He began to denounce nationalism, and to preach pacifism. At the core of Tamares' outlook was his concept of Judaism as a moral code.
