![Herbert Pundik (997009327561905171)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/Herbert_Pundik_%28997009327561905171%29.jpg)
Herbert Pundik or Nahum Pundak ( he, נחום פונדק; September 23, 1927 – December 8, 2019) was a
Danish
Danish may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark
People
* A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark
* Culture of Denmark
* Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...
-
Israeli
Israeli may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the State of Israel
* Israelis, citizens or permanent residents of the State of Israel
* Modern Hebrew, a language
* ''Israeli'' (newspaper), published from 2006 to 2008
* Guni Israeli ...
journalist and author. He worked for the newspaper
Information
Information is an abstract concept that refers to that which has the power to inform. At the most fundamental level information pertains to the interpretation of that which may be sensed. Any natural process that is not completely random ...
and as a correspondent for
Danmarks Radio
DR (), officially the Danish Broadcasting Corporation in English, is a Danish public-service radio and television broadcasting company. Founded in 1925 as a public-service organization, it is Denmark's oldest and largest electronic media enter ...
. Since 1965, he worked for the newspaper
Politiken
''Politiken'' is a leading Danish daily broadsheet newspaper, published by JP/Politikens Hus in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was founded in 1884 and played a role in the formation of the Danish Social Liberal Party. Since 1970 it has been indepe ...
, from 1970 to 1993 as
executive editor
Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to:
Role or title
* Executive, a senior management role in an organization
** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators
** Executive dire ...
. Under his leadership Politiken went from sloping sales figures to becoming the largest daily newspaper in
Denmark
)
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, song_type = National and royal anthem
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, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establish ...
.
Herbert was born in
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
,
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establish ...
in 1927 to
Danish Jewish
The history of the Jews in Denmark goes back to the 1600s. At present, the Jewish community of Denmark constitutes a small minority of about 6,000 persons within Danish society. The community's population peaked prior to the Holocaust at whi ...
parents, who had migrated to Denmark from
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
in order to escape threatening pogroms. He
escaped to Sweden during the
German occupation of Denmark in World War II, and in 1945 enlisted in the
Danish Brigade in Sweden
The Danish Brigade in Sweden ( da, Den Danske Brigade i Sverige) or in short, the Danish Brigade (''Den Danske Brigade''/''DDB'') (also referred to as Danforce) was a military unit made up of Danish refugees during World War II. Trained and suppl ...
. From 1948–1949 he served in the Israeli
Hagana
Haganah ( he, הַהֲגָנָה, lit. ''The Defence'') was the main Zionist paramilitary organization of the Jewish population ("Yishuv") in Mandatory Palestine between 1920 and its disestablishment in 1948, when it became the core of the Is ...
.
He admitted to spying for Israel for a decade during the 1960s.
His son
Ron Pundak was an Israeli historian, who played a vital role in establishing the diplomatic connections between the Israeli and the Palestinians which eventually led to the
Oslo Accords. Ron died on 11 April 2014 after a lengthy battle with cancer.
His son Uri was killed during the 1973
Yom Kippur War
The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was an armed conflict fought from October 6 to 25, 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by E ...
.
In the years from 1973 to 2019 Herbert Pundik's family was increasingly active in the peace movement. Already in 1967 Herbert Pundik warned about the consequences of the occupation of Palestine and over the years he became a strong voice for peace and reconciliation with the Palestinian people.
Herbert Pundik was also active in founding th
Parents Circle an organisation for Israeli and Palestinian families who lost their loved ones in the conflict. The organisation work for reconciliation and for the ending of the occupation of Palestine.
While executive editor, he continued to live with his family in
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 ...
, where they had lived since 1954. Until his death, Pundik continued to live in Israel while working for Politiken as a senior foreign correspondent. In 2008, he was appointed as adjunct professor at
Aalborg University
Aalborg University (AAU) is a Danish public university with campuses in Aalborg, Esbjerg, and Copenhagen founded in 1974. The university awards bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and PhD degrees in a wide variety of subjects within humanitie ...
.
Herbert Pundik received the following awards:
* 1966
Cavlingprisen
* 1993
Rosenkjærprisen
* 1993
Modersmål-Prisen
* 1996
Paul Hammerich-Prisen
References
1927 births
2019 deaths
Danish military personnel
Jewish Danish writers
People from Copenhagen
20th-century Danish journalists
20th-century Danish non-fiction writers
20th-century Danish newspaper editors
Politiken editors
Israeli Jews
Israeli spies
20th-century Danish writers
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