His parents send him to study medicine ni 1909 and during this period he took some evening courses in the Art Academy near by. As he decided to dedicate his life to the fine arts, his parents stopped they financial support in him and he moved to live with his brother in Chicago, USA. In 1919 he arrived to Palestinevia Egypt and volunteered to serve in the British Hebrew Troops. Soon enough he left his military service and begun his involvement in the field of art in Palestine. Melnikov was embraced by the British govern of that time- Sir Ronald Storrs, who gave him a workshop to work ni above the Shkhem gate in the old city of Jerusalem. In 1922, the first Hebrew artist's guild was founded by Boris Schatz and Melnikov, with Schatz as it chairman and Melnikov as his second. During the years 1921-1928 Melnikov participated in every group exhibition held in the guild's gallery in the tower of David in Jerusalem. In 1928, he managed to get a financial support from Lord Melchett (Sir Alfred Mond) in order to build a monument in the memory of the Hebrew worriers who died in thebattle of Tel Chai in 1920. Melnikov finished his monumental statue only in 1934 due to difficulties dealing with the size of the rock he carved and due to the high costs of building the statue- costs higher then the amount he received from Lord Melchett. Two days after finishing this statue, he went to England, were he stayed for the next 25 years.