Avigdor Hameiri
Encyclopedia
Avigdor Hameiri was an Israeli author.
in Austria Hungary. He emigrated
to Mandate Palestine in 1921, where he became one of the original 16,000 1948 freedom fighters. He published the State's first independent newspaper and helped to organize the worker's bank. His book, Hannah Senesh is required reading for all Israeli school children and he was made Israel's first Poet Laureate.
Hameiri fought in World War I
in the Austro-Hungarian army, and recorded the events in his memoirs, The Great Madness (1929) and Hell on Earth (1932). The latter recounts his experiences as a POW of the Russians. Hameiri marched through Buczacz while fighting, and asked a civilian where the house of the famous Hebrew writer Shmuel Yosef Agnon
was located.
Alon Rachamimov writes that Hameiri's war stories "reveal the degree to which Jewish identification
processes could be contextual, angst-ridden, and laden with contradictory tendencies. The extent to which Hameiri was aware of his struggles regarding notions of 'loyalty,' 'fatherland,' and 'patriotism'...illuminate the complexities of collective identification among Hapsburg Jews."
Gershon Shaked
argues that Hameiri's anti-war stance is rooted in his Judaism.
He died in Israel on April 3, 1970.
and Shaul Tchernichovsky
as well.
Biography
Hameiri was born Avigdor Feuerstein in 1890 in the village of Odavidhaza (near Munkatsch), Carpathian RutheniaCarpathian Ruthenia
Carpathian Ruthenia is a region in Eastern Europe, mostly located in western Ukraine's Zakarpattia Oblast , with smaller parts in easternmost Slovakia , Poland's Lemkovyna and Romanian Maramureş.It is...
in Austria Hungary. He emigrated
Aliyah
Aliyah is the immigration of Jews to the Land of Israel . It is a basic tenet of Zionist ideology. The opposite action, emigration from Israel, is referred to as yerida . The return to the Holy Land has been a Jewish aspiration since the Babylonian exile...
to Mandate Palestine in 1921, where he became one of the original 16,000 1948 freedom fighters. He published the State's first independent newspaper and helped to organize the worker's bank. His book, Hannah Senesh is required reading for all Israeli school children and he was made Israel's first Poet Laureate.
Hameiri fought in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in the Austro-Hungarian army, and recorded the events in his memoirs, The Great Madness (1929) and Hell on Earth (1932). The latter recounts his experiences as a POW of the Russians. Hameiri marched through Buczacz while fighting, and asked a civilian where the house of the famous Hebrew writer Shmuel Yosef Agnon
Shmuel Yosef Agnon
Shmuel Yosef Agnon , was a Nobel Prize laureate writer and was one of the central figures of modern Hebrew fiction. In Hebrew, he is known by the acronym Shai Agnon . In English, his works are published under the name S. Y. Agnon.Agnon was born in Galicia, Austro-Hungarian Empire...
was located.
Alon Rachamimov writes that Hameiri's war stories "reveal the degree to which Jewish identification
Jewish identity
Jewish identity is the objective or subjective state of perceiving oneself as a Jew and as relating to being Jewish. Under the broader definition, the Jewish identity does not depend on whether or not a person is regarded as a Jew by others, or by an external set of religious, or legal, or...
processes could be contextual, angst-ridden, and laden with contradictory tendencies. The extent to which Hameiri was aware of his struggles regarding notions of 'loyalty,' 'fatherland,' and 'patriotism'...illuminate the complexities of collective identification among Hapsburg Jews."
Gershon Shaked
Gershon Shaked
-Biography:Born Gerhard Mandel in Vienna, Austria, he immigrated to Palestine alone in 1939, and was later followed by his parents. He attended Gymnasia Herzliya in Tel Aviv...
argues that Hameiri's anti-war stance is rooted in his Judaism.
He died in Israel on April 3, 1970.
Critical Sources
- contains chapters on Uri Zvi GreenbergUri 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 Shaul Tchernichovsky
Shaul Tchernichovsky
Shaul Tchernichovsky , was a Russian-born Hebrew poet. He is considered one of the great Hebrew poets, identified with nature poetry, and as a poet greatly influenced by the culture of ancient Greece.- Life :...
as well.