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Dan Hardy Yaalon (Hebrew: דן הארדי יעלון; May 11, 1924, Uherske Hradiste, Czechoslovakia–January 29, 2014, Mevasseret Zion, Israel) was an outstanding Israeli pedologist and soil scientist, who is accredited with critical contributions to the fields of  arid and Mediterranean pedology and paleopedology, as well as the history, sociology, and philosophy of soil science. He formulated a holistic framework for the pedogenesis of “Mediterranean soils” while considering both natural and anthropogenic factors, and explained the key role of aeolian dust in the formation of soils in arid and Mediterranean regions. While stimulating a global awareness of paleopedology, he suggested a “differential equilibrium” approach to soil-forming processes, emphasizing their relevance to paleosols. He also contributed in the fields of the history and philosophy of soil science, the influence of humans on the formation of soils, and the important role of soils in the developing human civilization. Throughout more than six decades of his research career (1950-2014), Yaalon published more than 200 scientific papers and was a very involved member in the International Soil Science Society (ISSS; later International Union of Soil Science, IUSS).

1. Childhood.

Dan Hardy Yaalon was born as Hardy Berger on May 11, 1924, in the town of Uherske Hradiste (Czechoslovakia, today Czech Republic) to a middle-class Jewish family, involved in the textile business. He was the youngest child of Hugo J. Berger and Elsa Jellinek, and had two senior sisters, Dita and Stella. The young Yaalon is remembered as a curious child and an excellent pupil, who was fascinated from early on with exploring his environment. Typical to his family’s background, Yaalon attended the extracurricular activities of ‘Young Maccabi’, a worldwide Zionist movement aimed to motivate Jewish youth to immigrate to ‘Eretz Israel’ (link). Yaalon’s comfortable childhood terminated at the age of 10, with the untimely passing of his father. Five years down the line, the 1939 Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia further fragmented Yaalon’s family and completely changed the course of their lives.