Avoth Yeshurun
Encyclopedia
Avoth Yeshurun also Avot Yeshurun, was the pen name of Yehiel Perlmutter, an acclaimed modern Hebrew poet.
in 1904 in Niskhish, Ukraine
. His father, Baruch, came from a family of flour mill owners. His mother, Ryckelle (Rachel) was of rabbinic descent. Yeshurun grew up speaking Yiddish. When he was five, his parents moved to Krasnystaw
in East Poland
. He left for the British Mandate of Palestine in 1925, against the will of his parents who preferred that he remain in Poland. Initially he worked in construction, dredged swamps and picked fruit; later he worked in a brick factory and for a printer. In 1929, he joined the Haganah
, the Jewish militia that later became the Israeli Defense Force. In 1934 he married Pesyah Justman. Their daughter Helit was born in 1942. Yeshurun's family, along with Krasnystaw's 2,000 Jews, were murdered in Bełżec concentration camp in today's Poland.
. In 1952 Yeshurun published a highly controversial poem, "Pesach al Kochim", in which he compared the tragedy of the Palestinian refugees with that of the Jewish Holocaust.
His subsequent books were Re'em (a combination of the Hebrew words for "Thunder" and "Antelope"), 1961, Shloshim Amud ("Thirty Pages"), 1965, Ze Shem HaSefer ("This is the Name of the Book"), 1971, HaShever HaSuri-Afrika'i ("The Syrian-African Rift"), 1974, Kapella Kolot ("A Capella of Voices"), 1977, Sha'ar Knisa Sha'ar Yetzia ("Entrance Gate Exit Gate"), 1981, Homograph, 1985, Adon Menucha ("Mr. Rest"), 1990, and Ein Li Achshav ("I Have No Now"), 1992.
Many of Yeshurun's poems allude to the guilt he felt for having left Europe before the Holocaust, leaving his home and family behind. His poetry is known for its broken phrasing, and combines Yiddish, biblical and modern Hebrew, and slang used by various cultural groups in Israel
, including phrases in Arabic, which he often uses ironically in criticism of the marginalization of Arabs and Arabic in Israeli culture.
Avoth Yeshurun died in 1992.
Biography
Avoth Yeshurun was born on Yom KippurYom Kippur
Yom Kippur , also known as Day of Atonement, is the holiest and most solemn day of the year for the Jews. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue...
in 1904 in Niskhish, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. His father, Baruch, came from a family of flour mill owners. His mother, Ryckelle (Rachel) was of rabbinic descent. Yeshurun grew up speaking Yiddish. When he was five, his parents moved to Krasnystaw
Krasnystaw
Krasnystaw is a town in eastern Poland with 19,615 inhabitants . Situated in the Lublin Voivodeship , previously in Chelm Voivodeship . It is the capital of Krasnystaw County....
in East Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. He left for the British Mandate of Palestine in 1925, against the will of his parents who preferred that he remain in Poland. Initially he worked in construction, dredged swamps and picked fruit; later he worked in a brick factory and for a printer. In 1929, he joined the Haganah
Haganah
Haganah was a Jewish paramilitary organization in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948, which later became the core of the Israel Defense Forces.- Origins :...
, the Jewish militia that later became the Israeli Defense Force. In 1934 he married Pesyah Justman. Their daughter Helit was born in 1942. Yeshurun's family, along with Krasnystaw's 2,000 Jews, were murdered in Bełżec concentration camp in today's Poland.
Yeshurun's Poetry
His first book, Al khokhmot drakhim ("On the wisdom of roads"), was published under his birthname, Yehiel Perlmutter. He changed his name to Avoth Yeshurun in 1948, the night before he was inducted into the Israel Defense ForcesIsrael Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
. In 1952 Yeshurun published a highly controversial poem, "Pesach al Kochim", in which he compared the tragedy of the Palestinian refugees with that of the Jewish Holocaust.
His subsequent books were Re'em (a combination of the Hebrew words for "Thunder" and "Antelope"), 1961, Shloshim Amud ("Thirty Pages"), 1965, Ze Shem HaSefer ("This is the Name of the Book"), 1971, HaShever HaSuri-Afrika'i ("The Syrian-African Rift"), 1974, Kapella Kolot ("A Capella of Voices"), 1977, Sha'ar Knisa Sha'ar Yetzia ("Entrance Gate Exit Gate"), 1981, Homograph, 1985, Adon Menucha ("Mr. Rest"), 1990, and Ein Li Achshav ("I Have No Now"), 1992.
Many of Yeshurun's poems allude to the guilt he felt for having left Europe before the Holocaust, leaving his home and family behind. His poetry is known for its broken phrasing, and combines Yiddish, biblical and modern Hebrew, and slang used by various cultural groups in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, including phrases in Arabic, which he often uses ironically in criticism of the marginalization of Arabs and Arabic in Israeli culture.
Avoth Yeshurun died in 1992.
Awards
- In 1967, Yeshurun was awarded the Brenner PrizeBrenner PrizeThe Brenner Prize is an Israeli literary prize awarded annually by the Hebrew Writers Association in Israel and the Haft Family Foundation.It was founded in the name of the author Yosef Haim Brenner and was first awarded in 1945....
. - In 1979, he was the co-recipient (jointly with Aharon AppelfeldAharon Appelfeld-Biography:Appelfeld was born in the village of Zhadova near Czernowitz, Romania, now Ukraine. In 1941, when he was eight years old, the Romanian army invaded his hometown and his mother was murdered. Appelfeld was deported with his father to a concentration camp in Ukraine. He escaped and hid for...
) of the Bialik PrizeBialik PrizeThe Bialik Prize is an annual literary award given by the municipality of Tel Aviv, Israel for significant accomplishments in Hebrew literature. The prize is named in memory of Hayyim Nahman Bialik. There are two separate prizes, one specifically for "Literature", which is in the field of fiction,...
for literature. - In 1992, he was awarded the Israel PrizeIsrael PrizeThe Israel Prize is an award handed out by the State of Israel and is largely regarded as the state's highest honor. It is presented annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state ceremony in Jerusalem, in the presence of the President, the Prime Minister, the Knesset chairperson, and the...
, for Hebrew poetry.
Further reading
- Avoth Yeshurun, The Syrian-African Rift and other Poems. Translated by Harold Schimmel. 1980. ISBN 0827601816
- The Modern Hebrew Poem ItselfThe Modern Hebrew Poem ItselfThe Modern Hebrew Poem Itself is an anthology of modern Hebrew poetry, presented in the original language, with a transliteration into Roman script, a literal translation into English, and commentaries and explanations....
(2003), ISBN 0-8143-2485-1. (Yeshurun was included in the first edition but not in the second edition) - Three poems by Yeshurun, translated by Gabriel Levin and Lilac Lachman and featured in Parnassus (magazine)Parnassus (magazine)Parnassus: Poetry in Review is an American literary magazine founded in 1973.The magazine states on its website that its aim has been "to provide a forum where poets, novelists, and critics of all persuasions could gather to review new books of poetry, including translations [....
Poetry in Review
See also
- List of Israel Prize recipients
- List of Bialik Prize recipientsBialik PrizeThe Bialik Prize is an annual literary award given by the municipality of Tel Aviv, Israel for significant accomplishments in Hebrew literature. The prize is named in memory of Hayyim Nahman Bialik. There are two separate prizes, one specifically for "Literature", which is in the field of fiction,...