Simcha Holtzberg (sometimes spelled Holzberg) (

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

: שמחה הולצברג, April 18, 1924 – February 13, 1994) was an Israeli activist and

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...

survivor. He was known as the "Father of the Wounded Soldiers," and was a recipient of the

Israel Prize The Israel Prize ( he, פרס ישראל; ''pras israél'') is an award bestowed by the State of Israel, and regarded as the state's highest cultural honor. History The Israel Prize is awarded annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state cer ...

Biography

Holtzberg was born in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

, Poland, to Shmuel and Tziporah Holtzberg. He participated in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, was captured by the

Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...

and sent to different concentration camps, and was liberated from Bergen-Belsen. Holtzberg arrived in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2022. * January 2 – Luis ...

, and became famous for his stubborn struggle against normalizing relations between Israel and Germany. He organized demonstrations every time a high-ranking German official came to Israel. He also established Holocaust libraries and published the poems of the Holocaust poet

Itzhak Katzenelson Itzhak Katzenelson ( he, יצחק קצנלסון, yi, (יצחק קאַצ(ע)נעלסאָן(זון; also transcribed as ''Icchak-Lejb Kacenelson'', ''Jizchak Katzenelson''; ''Yitzhok Katznelson'') (1 July 1886 – 1 May 1944) was a Polish Jewis ...

. He befriended the famous Rabbi Aryeh Levin of

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

, known as "Father of the Prisoners". Levine's example influenced Holtzberg's lifetime devotion to wounded

soldiers A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

, whom he considered "the nation's holy and righteous". Holtzberg became known in Israel as "Father of the Wounded Soldiers". He dedicated his life to visiting and helping wounded-in-service soldiers and terrorism victims in Israel. His aim was to restore the wounded to normal lives and enable them to return to society successfully. In

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...

, Holtzberg was awarded the

, for his special contribution to society and the State of Israel.

Death

Holtzberg died during a ceremony held in honor of the wounded on February 13, 1994. He is buried in the

Sanhedria Cemetery Sanhedria Cemetery ( he, בית עלמין סנהדריה) is a 27-dunam (6.67-acre) Jewish burial ground in the Sanhedria neighborhood of Jerusalem, adjacent to the intersection of Levi Eshkol Boulevard, Shmuel HaNavi Street, and Bar-Ilan Str ...

in Jerusalem. The Israel Philatelic Federation issued a stamp in his honor on April 19, 1999, the 75th anniversary of his birth, showing his portrait and a legend stating "Father of the Wounded Soldiers". Dozens of streets in Israel are named in his honor, including one in Pisgat Ze'ev, Jerusalem.

References

External links

Stamp in his honor

Media

* Documentary Film made by

IDF IDF or idf may refer to: Defence forces * Irish Defence Forces * Israel Defense Forces *Iceland Defense Force, of the US Armed Forces, 1951-2006 * Indian Defence Force, a part-time force, 1917 Organizations * Israeli Diving Federation * Interac ...

Spokesman: .
Film
about Holtzberg and the young girl who were injured during the

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

Biography

Death

References

External links

Media

See also