Gurit Kadman ( he, גורית קדמן ; b. March 2, 1897 - March 27, 1987) was an Israeli dance instructor and choreographer, and is considered the mother of
Israeli folk dancing
Israeli folk dance ( he, ריקודי עם, ''rikudei 'am'', lit. "Folk dances") is a form of dance usually performed to songs in Hebrew, or to other songs which have been popular in Israel, with dances choreographed for specific songs. Israeli ...
.
Biography
Gertrude (Gert) Loewenstein (later Gurit Kadman) was born in
Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
to an assimilated Jewish family that traced its roots to
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...
. In her youth she was active in the ''
Wandervogel
''Wandervogel'' (plural: ''Wandervögel''; English: "Wandering Bird") is the name adopted by a popular movement of German youth groups from 1896 to 1933, who protested against industrialization by going to hike in the country and commune with n ...
'' German youth movement.
In 1919, she married Leo Kaufman, and the couple joined the
Blau Weiss Zionist youth movement
A Zionist youth movement ( he, תנועות הנוער היהודיות הציוניות ''tnuot hanoar hayehudiot hatsioniot'') is an organization formed for Jewish children and adolescents for educational, social, and ideological development, i ...
and began agricultural training in preparation for a communal life in Palestine. Her son, Raphael, was born before they left.
In 1920, they
immigrated
Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...
to
Mandate Palestine
Mandatory Palestine ( ar, فلسطين الانتدابية '; he, פָּלֶשְׂתִּינָה (א״י) ', where "E.Y." indicates ''’Eretz Yiśrā’ēl'', the Land of Israel) was a geopolitical entity established between 1920 and 1948 i ...
and were among the founders of the communal settlement
Heftziba
Heftziba ( he, חֶפְצִיבָּהּ) is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located on the boundaries of the Jezreel and Beit She'an Valleys between the cities of Afula and Beit She'an, it falls under the jurisdiction of Gilboa Regional Council. ...
, first near
Hadera
Hadera ( he, חֲדֵרָה ) is a city located in the Haifa District of Israel, in the northern Sharon region, approximately 45 kilometers (28 miles) from the major cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa. The city is located along 7 km (5&nb ...
, where another son, Amnon, was born, and then at its permanent location in the
Jezreel Valley
The Jezreel Valley (from the he, עמק יזרעאל, translit. ''ʿĒmeq Yīzrəʿēʿl''), or Marj Ibn Amir ( ar, مرج ابن عامر), also known as the Valley of Megiddo, is a large fertile plain and inland valley in the Northern Distr ...
. Later, they changed the family name to Kadman and Gert became Gurit.
In 1925, she accompanied her husband on an educational mission to
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
, where their daughter, Ayala, was born. Upon their return, Leo was employed by the
Histadrut. In 1931, the family left the kibbutz and moved to
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the ...
.
Awards and honors
* In 1981, she received the
Israel prize, for dance.
Publications
* ''Am Roked'' (“A Dancing People”), 1964
* Ethnic Dance In Israel, 1982
See also
*
List of Israel Prize recipients
References
External links
Details of all Gurit Kadman's dances
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kadman, Gurit
Israel Prize in dancing recipients
Israel Prize women recipients
German emigrants to Mandatory Palestine
19th-century German Jews
Israeli female dancers
Israeli choreographers
1897 births
1987 deaths
Folk dancers