Anda Pinkerfeld Amir ( he, אנדה פינקרפלד-עמיר; June 26, 1902 – March 27, 1981) was an Israeli poet and writer. She is best remembered in Israel as a children's writer.

Biography

Anda Pinkerfeld was born in Rzeszow, Poland in 1902. Her father worked as an architect for the

Austro-Hungarian Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

government. Her family was secular, and did not provide a Jewish education. After the

Lwów pogrom (1918) The Lwów pogrom ( pl, pogrom lwowski, german: Lemberger Pogrom) was a pogrom perpetrated by Polish soldiers and civilians against the Jewish population of the city of Lwów (since 1945, Lviv, Ukraine). It happened on 21–23 November 1918, du ...

, she became involved with the

Hashomer Hatzair Hashomer Hatzair ( he, הַשׁוֹמֵר הַצָעִיר, , ''The Young Guard'') is a Labor Zionist, secular Jewish youth movement founded in 1913 in the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, Austria-Hungary, and it was also the name of the group ...

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 A kibbutz ( he, קִבּוּץ / , lit. "gathering, clustering"; plural: kibbutzim / ) is an intentional community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. The first kibbutz, established in 1909, was Degania. Today, farming h ...

Bet Alfa and

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 G ...

, 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 or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Pinkerfeld-Amir was sent to work in the

Displaced Persons camps Displaced may refer to: * Forced displacement, the involuntary movement of people from their home * Displaced (2006 film), ''Displaced'' (2006 film), a 2006 British feature film produced by Skylandian Pictures * Displaced (2010 film), ''Displaced ...

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 ...

by the

Jewish Agency The Jewish Agency for Israel ( he, הסוכנות היהודית לארץ ישראל, translit=HaSochnut HaYehudit L'Eretz Yisra'el) formerly known as The Jewish Agency for Palestine, is the largest Jewish non-profit organization in the world. ...

. 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 This is a list of wars of independence (also called liberation wars). These wars may or may not have been successful in achieving a goal of independence. List See also * Lists of active separatist movements * List of civil wars * List of o ...

. Pinkerfeld-Amir died March 27, 1981.

Work

In her youth, Pinkerfeld-Amir wrote and published poetry in

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

. After immigrating to Palestine, she was influenced by

Uri Zvi Greenberg Uri Zvi Greenberg ( he, אוּרִי צְבִי גְּרִינְבֵּרְג; September 22, 1896 – May 8, 1981; also spelled Uri Zvi Grinberg) was an acclaimed Modern Hebrew poetry, Israeli poet, journalist and politician who wrote in Yiddish ...

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 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 ...

, 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 Bialik Institute prize for her book of Children's poems. * In 1971, she was awarded the

Hayim Greenberg Hayim Greenberg ( he, חַיִּים גרינברג ‎ 1889, Todirești, Beletsky Uyezd, Bessarabia – 1953) was a Jewish-American thinker and Labor Zionist thinker. He was the head of Poalei Zion and he was the editor along with Marie Syrki ...

Prize for her poetry. * In 1978, she received 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 ...

, for children's literature.

Publications

In Polish

* Song of Life, 1921

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

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pinkerfeld Amir, Anda Israel Prize women recipients Israel Prize in children's literature recipients Israeli children's writers Polish emigrants to Mandatory Palestine 20th-century Israeli Jews 1902 births 1981 deaths Israeli women children's writers Israeli women poets 20th-century women writers 20th-century Israeli poets Burials at South Cemetery in Israel