Anda Pinkerfeld Amir
Encyclopedia
Anda Pinkerfeld Amir was an Israeli poet and author. She is best remembered in Israel as a children's writer.
, Poland in 1902. Her father worked as an architect for the Austro-Hungarian government. Her family was secular, and did not provide a Jewish education. After the Lwów pogrom (1918)
, she became involved with the Hashomer Hatzair
movement and switched schools to the Jewish gymnasia in Lvov. In 1920 she left for Mandate Palestine with a Hashomer Hatzair group, but later returned to Lvov, for her BA.
During this time, she married Arieh Krampner-Amir, an agriculturalist. In 1924, the couple returned to Palestine. After living in Kibbutz
Bet Alfa and Tel Aviv
, they eventually settled in Kiryat Anavim and had a daughter, Zippor and a son, Amos.
In the aftermath of World War II
, Pinkerfeld-Amir was sent to work in the Displaced Persons camps in Germany
by the Jewish Agency. Pinkerfeld-Amir kept a diary of her experiences in Europe. She later worked in the archives of the Ministry of Defense, keeping records of soldiers who fell in the 1948 War of Independence.
Pinkerfeld-Amir died March 27, 1981.
. After immigrating to Palestine, she was influenced by Uri Zvi Greenberg
and began writing in Hebrew. Her earliest work in Hebrew was published in 1928 under the pen name Bat-Hedva, meaning daughter of Hedva, her mother's Hebrew name.
She wrote many portrayals of biblical characters, but after her experiences in the camps in Germany, her work took on a more nationalistic tone. She was among the first writers to deal with the holocaust, when most writers avoided the subject.
Her most remembered work was written for children; in rhyme and lyrics, and more serious writing helping children deal with loss.
Biography
Anda Pinkerfeld was born in RzeszowRzeszów
Rzeszów is a city in southeastern Poland with a population of 179,455 in 2010. It is located on both sides of the Wisłok River, in the heartland of the Sandomierska Valley...
, Poland in 1902. Her father worked as an architect for the Austro-Hungarian government. Her family was secular, and did not provide a Jewish education. After the Lwów pogrom (1918)
Lwów pogrom (1918)
The Lwów pogrom of the Jewish population of Lwów took place on November 21–23, 1918 during the Polish-Ukrainian War. In the course of the three days of unrest in the city, an estimated 52-150 Jewish residents were murdered and hundreds injured, with widespread looting carried out by Polish...
, she became involved with the Hashomer Hatzair
Hashomer Hatzair
Hashomer Hatzair is a Socialist–Zionist youth movement founded in 1913 in Galicia, Austria-Hungary, and was also the name of the group's political party in the Yishuv in the pre-1948 British Mandate of Palestine...
movement and switched schools to the Jewish gymnasia in Lvov. In 1920 she left for Mandate Palestine with a Hashomer Hatzair group, but later returned to Lvov, for her BA.
During this time, she married Arieh Krampner-Amir, an agriculturalist. In 1924, the couple returned to Palestine. After living in Kibbutz
Kibbutz
A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...
Bet Alfa and Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
, they eventually settled in Kiryat Anavim and had a daughter, Zippor and a son, Amos.
In the aftermath of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Pinkerfeld-Amir was sent to work in the Displaced Persons camps in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
by the Jewish Agency. Pinkerfeld-Amir kept a diary of her experiences in Europe. She later worked in the archives of the Ministry of Defense, keeping records of soldiers who fell in the 1948 War of Independence.
Pinkerfeld-Amir died March 27, 1981.
Work
In her youth, Pinkerfeld-Amir wrote and published poetry in PolishPolish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
. After immigrating to Palestine, she was influenced by Uri Zvi Greenberg
Uri Zvi Greenberg
Uri Zvi Grinberg was an acclaimed Israeli poet and journalist who wrote in Yiddish and Hebrew.-Biography:Uri Zvi Grinberg was born in Bialikamin, Galicia, then Austria-Hungary, into a prominent Hasidic family. He was raised in Lemberg . Some of his poems in Yiddish and Hebrew were published...
and began writing in Hebrew. Her earliest work in Hebrew was published in 1928 under the pen name Bat-Hedva, meaning daughter of Hedva, her mother's Hebrew name.
She wrote many portrayals of biblical characters, but after her experiences in the camps in Germany, her work took on a more nationalistic tone. She was among the first writers to deal with the holocaust, when most writers avoided the subject.
Her most remembered work was written for children; in rhyme and lyrics, and more serious writing helping children deal with loss.
Awards and honors
- In 1936, she received the Mossad Bialik prize for her book of Children's poems.
- In 1971, she was awarded the Haim Greenberg Prize for her poetry.
- In 1978, she received the Israel prizeIsrael PrizeThe Israel Prize is an award handed out by the State of Israel and is largely regarded as the state's highest honor. It is presented annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state ceremony in Jerusalem, in the presence of the President, the Prime Minister, the Knesset chairperson, and the...
, for children's literature.
In Hebrew
- Whispering Days, 1929
- Al Anan Kevish, 1933
- Children's Poems, 1934
- Geisha Lian Tang Sharah, 1935
- Gittit, 1937
- From Time Immemorial: Ancient Figures, 1942
- Haruzim Alizim, 1944
- Duda'im ("Mandrakes"), 1945
- Gadish ("Grain Heap"): Poems, 1949
- Ahat: Poema, 1952
- Stars in the Bucket, 1957
- Shalom, Yeladim, 1965
- A Secret with My Older Brother
- Tehiyyot, 1976
- U-vekhol Zot, 1980