Moshe Shamir
Encyclopedia
Moshe Shamir (September 15, 1921 – August 20, 2004) was an Israel
i author, playwright, opinion writer, and public figure.
. He went to the Tel Nordau School and graduated from the Herzliya Hebrew High School
in Tel Aviv
.
In the Israeli War of Independence
he served in Palmach
. He began his political career as a member of the movement Hashomer Hatzair
, in which he filled a leadership role. He was one of the editors of their official newspaper Al Ha-Homa from 1939 to 1941. From 1944 to 1946 he was a member of kibbutz
Mishmar HaEmek
. He was founder and editor of the Israel Defense Forces
official newspaper Bamahane
("In the Camp") from 1947 to 1950. During the 1950s he was a member of the editorial board of the newspaper Maariv
and the editor of its literature section.
Shamir's first story, appearing in print in 1940, dealt with Abraham
and the binding of Isaac
. The story was published in the youth movement newspaper Al Ha-Homa. In his 1947 novel He Walked Through the Fields, which became the first play performed in the established State of Israel, the hero is a native-born Israeli, a "Sabra". The book won the Ussishkin
Prize. It was adapted as a movie directed by Yosef Milo, who also directed its theatrical debut. In 1947, he became the chief editor of the Haganah
(later Israel Defense Forces
) newspaper Bamahane
. He edited it until he was dismissed at the request of David Ben-Gurion
for publishing an article about a celebration of the disbanding of Palmach
. Thereafter he continually aroused scandals, more than any other Hebrew author of our time.
The hero of With His Own Hands: Elik's Story (1951) is his brother Elik who fell in the War of Independence. The book became an icon of that war. Alik's Story was translated into English, adapted into radio plays, and even merited an adaptation for television. It is one of the greatest Israeli bestsellers of all time, selling to date over 150,000 copies. It became part of the program of study in schools.
Under the Sun (1950) and That You Are Naked (1959) are autobiographical pieces based on his life in the thirties and forties. Shamir wrote additional books about the members of his family: With His Own Heart about his father, and Not Far From the Tree about his family history.
Besides The King of Flesh and Blood, his most translated book was a children's book, The Fifth Wheel (1961). It is about the adventures of a kibbutznik, dispatched to bring a tractor from the port, who at every step meets various and sundry obstacles and adventures.
Joseph Klausner
was critical of The King of Flesh and Blood, whose central character is the Hasmonean king Alexander Jannæus. Menachem Begin
recalled Klausner's words in a later day when Moshe Shamir, as a member of the Knesset
, crossed the political lines from left to right to oppose the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty
. As the prime minister at the time, Begin spoke out against Shamir in the Knesset, indicating that Shamir's objections showed a lack of awareness of the historic moves taking place. He said to Shamir (in Hebrew):
Moshe Shamir also wrote poetry. However, most of his trade was in prose. He was a prolific author, publishing in the course of his life more than 25 books. Thus he is best recognized as a novelist and a playwright.
He died in Rishon LeZion at the age of 83. He was survived by his wife Tzvia.
. After the Six-Day War
, similarly to the songwriter Naomi Shemer
, he changed his political leaning. He became one of the creators of the Movement for Greater Israel
(Eretz Israel HaShlema, literally "Whole Land of Israel"), a part of the La'am
faction in the Likud
. He was elected to the Knesset in the legislative elections of 1977. He was among the founders of the "Bnai" faction (acronym for a phrase meaning "Union of Eretz Israel Faithful") that opposed the Camp David Accords (1978). In late 1979, after the Israel-Egypt peace treaty, he broke away from Likud, along with Knesset member Geula Cohen
, and found the Tehiya
Bnai party.
His shift from left to right took a toll on him as the main literary societies, taking a dim view, banned him from membership.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i author, playwright, opinion writer, and public figure.
Biography
Moshe Shamir was born in SafedSafed
Safed , is a city in the Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevation of , Safed is the highest city in the Galilee and of Israel. Due to its high elevation, Safed experiences warm summers and cold, often snowy, winters...
. He went to the Tel Nordau School and graduated from the Herzliya Hebrew High School
Herzliya Hebrew High School
The Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium , originally known as HaGymnasia HaIvrit is a historic high school in Tel Aviv, Israel.-History:...
in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
.
In the Israeli War of Independence
1948 Arab-Israeli War
The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...
he served in Palmach
Palmach
The Palmach was the elite fighting force of the Haganah, the underground army of the Yishuv during the period of the British Mandate of Palestine. The Palmach was established on May 15, 1941...
. He began his political career as a member of the movement Hashomer Hatzair
Hashomer Hatzair
Hashomer Hatzair is a Socialist–Zionist youth movement founded in 1913 in Galicia, Austria-Hungary, and was also the name of the group's political party in the Yishuv in the pre-1948 British Mandate of Palestine...
, in which he filled a leadership role. He was one of the editors of their official newspaper Al Ha-Homa from 1939 to 1941. From 1944 to 1946 he was a member of kibbutz
Kibbutz
A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...
Mishmar HaEmek
Mishmar HaEmek
Mishmar HaEmek is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located in the western Jezreel Valley, it falls under the jurisdiction of Megiddo Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 964....
. He was founder and editor of the Israel Defense Forces
Israel 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...
official newspaper Bamahane
Bamahane
Bamahane is a Hebrew-language weekly magazine published by the Israel Defense Forces...
("In the Camp") from 1947 to 1950. During the 1950s he was a member of the editorial board of the newspaper Maariv
Maariv
Maariv is a Hebrew language daily newspaper published in Israel. It is second in sales after Yedioth Ahronoth and third in readership after Yedioth Ahronoth and Israel HaYom. In a TGI survey comparing the last half of 2009 with the same period in 2008, Maariv saw its market share fall slightly...
and the editor of its literature section.
Literary and journalism career
Shamir began writing stories at a young age. They immediately attracted attention, and not only for his literary ability. He was always engaged with political problems, always arousing opposition. The first opposition came from Meir Yairi, leader of the left-wing movement to which Shamir belonged, concerning what was perceived as "ideological aberration" in his stories. In hindsight it is difficult to understand what the fuss was about. The stories seem completely innocent and certainly are not hostile or injurious to the kibbutz movement. However, the anger that was aroused against Shamir was so strong that he decided to leave his kibbutz in 1947 for ideological reasons.Shamir's first story, appearing in print in 1940, dealt with Abraham
Abraham
Abraham , whose birth name was Abram, is the eponym of the Abrahamic religions, among which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam...
and the binding of Isaac
Binding of Isaac
The Binding of Isaac Akedah or Akeidat Yitzchak in Hebrew and Dhabih in Arabic, is a story from the Hebrew Bible in which God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, on Mount Moriah...
. The story was published in the youth movement newspaper Al Ha-Homa. In his 1947 novel He Walked Through the Fields, which became the first play performed in the established State of Israel, the hero is a native-born Israeli, a "Sabra". The book won the Ussishkin
Menahem Ussishkin
Menachem Ussishkin was a Russian-born Zionist leader and head of the Jewish National Fund.Avraham Menachem Mendel Ussishkin was born in Dubroŭna in the Belarusian part of the Russian Empire, Ussishkin graduated as a technical engineer from Moscow Technological Institute...
Prize. It was adapted as a movie directed by Yosef Milo, who also directed its theatrical debut. In 1947, he became the chief editor of 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 :...
(later Israel Defense Forces
Israel 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...
) newspaper Bamahane
Bamahane
Bamahane is a Hebrew-language weekly magazine published by the Israel Defense Forces...
. He edited it until he was dismissed at the request of David Ben-Gurion
David Ben-Gurion
' was the first Prime Minister of Israel.Ben-Gurion's passion for Zionism, which began early in life, led him to become a major Zionist leader and Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization in 1946...
for publishing an article about a celebration of the disbanding of Palmach
Palmach
The Palmach was the elite fighting force of the Haganah, the underground army of the Yishuv during the period of the British Mandate of Palestine. The Palmach was established on May 15, 1941...
. Thereafter he continually aroused scandals, more than any other Hebrew author of our time.
The hero of With His Own Hands: Elik's Story (1951) is his brother Elik who fell in the War of Independence. The book became an icon of that war. Alik's Story was translated into English, adapted into radio plays, and even merited an adaptation for television. It is one of the greatest Israeli bestsellers of all time, selling to date over 150,000 copies. It became part of the program of study in schools.
Under the Sun (1950) and That You Are Naked (1959) are autobiographical pieces based on his life in the thirties and forties. Shamir wrote additional books about the members of his family: With His Own Heart about his father, and Not Far From the Tree about his family history.
Besides The King of Flesh and Blood, his most translated book was a children's book, The Fifth Wheel (1961). It is about the adventures of a kibbutznik, dispatched to bring a tractor from the port, who at every step meets various and sundry obstacles and adventures.
Joseph Klausner
Joseph Klausner
Joseph Gedaliah Klausner , , was a Jewish historian and professor of Hebrew Literature. He was the chief redactor of The Hebrew Encyclopedia...
was critical of The King of Flesh and Blood, whose central character is the Hasmonean king Alexander Jannæus. Menachem Begin
Menachem Begin
' was a politician, founder of Likud and the sixth Prime Minister of the State of Israel. Before independence, he was the leader of the Zionist militant group Irgun, the Revisionist breakaway from the larger Jewish paramilitary organization Haganah. He proclaimed a revolt, on 1 February 1944,...
recalled Klausner's words in a later day when Moshe Shamir, as a member of the Knesset
Knesset
The Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.-Role in Israeli Government :The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset passes all laws, elects the President and Prime Minister , approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government...
, crossed the political lines from left to right to oppose the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty
Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty
The 1979 Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty was signed in Washington, D.C. on the 26th of March 1979, following the 1978 Camp David Accords, which were signed by Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, and were witnessed by United States President Jimmy Carter.The peace...
. As the prime minister at the time, Begin spoke out against Shamir in the Knesset, indicating that Shamir's objections showed a lack of awareness of the historic moves taking place. He said to Shamir (in Hebrew):
- Certainly you recall that, in his day, the late Prof. Joseph Klausner wrote, when you published your book The King of Flesh and Blood, these words: "There may sometimes be a writer who is not a historian, but to such an extent?" And now I say: "There may sometimes be a politician who does not recognize the rustling wings of history, but to such an extent?"
Moshe Shamir also wrote poetry. However, most of his trade was in prose. He was a prolific author, publishing in the course of his life more than 25 books. Thus he is best recognized as a novelist and a playwright.
He died in Rishon LeZion at the age of 83. He was survived by his wife Tzvia.
Political career
He was active in MapamMapam
Mapam was a political party in Israel and is one of the ancestors of the modern-day Meretz party.-History:Mapam was formed by a January 1948 merger of the Hashomer Hatzair Workers Party and Ahdut HaAvoda Poale Zion Movement. The party was originally Marxist-Zionist in its outlook and represented...
. After the Six-Day War
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
, similarly to the songwriter Naomi Shemer
Naomi Shemer
Naomi Shemer was a leading Israeli songwriter hailed as the "first lady of Israeli song and poetry."-Biography:Naomi Sapir was born on Kvutzat Kinneret, a kibbutz her parents had helped found, on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. In the 1950s she served in the Israeli Defense Force's Nahal...
, he changed his political leaning. He became one of the creators of the Movement for Greater Israel
Movement for Greater Israel
The Movement for Greater Israel was a political organisation in Israel during the 1960s and 1970s which subscribed to an ideology of Greater Israel....
(Eretz Israel HaShlema, literally "Whole Land of Israel"), a part of the La'am
La'am
La'am was a political faction in Israel that formed part of Likud between 1976 and 1984.-History:Between its formation in 1973 and formal merger in 1988, Likud consisted of an alliance of several right wing parties. The two largest blocs were Herut and the Liberal Party, which had formed the Gahal...
faction in the Likud
Likud
Likud is the major center-right political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin in an alliance with several right-wing and liberal parties. Likud's victory in the 1977 elections was a major turning point in the country's political history, marking the first time the left had...
. He was elected to the Knesset in the legislative elections of 1977. He was among the founders of the "Bnai" faction (acronym for a phrase meaning "Union of Eretz Israel Faithful") that opposed the Camp David Accords (1978). In late 1979, after the Israel-Egypt peace treaty, he broke away from Likud, along with Knesset member Geula Cohen
Geula Cohen
Geulah Cohen is an Israeli former Irgun and Lehi member, politician, and journalist.-Biography:Geulah Cohen was born in Tel Aviv during the British Mandate of Palestine...
, and found the Tehiya
Tehiya
Tehiya , originally known as Banai , then Tehiya-Bnai , was a small right-wing political party in Israel that existed from 1979 until 1992...
Bnai party.
His shift from left to right took a toll on him as the main literary societies, taking a dim view, banned him from membership.
Awards
Among the various prizes received by Shamir for his work were the following:- In 1950, the Ussishkin Prize;
- In 1953, 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 1955, 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 1988, the capstone was 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 literature.
Works in English translation
- He Walked Through the Fields (1959, as a play), translation of Hu Halach Ba-Sadot (1947)
- Taking the Mountains (1948, play)
- With His Own Hands (1970), translation of Be-Mo Yadav (1951)
- The King of Flesh and Blood (1958), translation of Melech Basar Va-Dam (1954)
- David's Stranger (1965), also with title The Hittite Must Die (1978), translation of Kivsat Ha-Rash (1956)
- The Fifth Wheel (1961), translation of Ha-Galgal Ha-Hamishi (1961)
- My Life With Ishmael (1970, political autobiography), translation of Hayai Im Ishmael (1968)
See also
- List of Bialik Prize recipients
- List of Israel Prize recipients
External links
- Moshe Shamir Institute for Translation of Hebrew Literature
- Moshe Shamir Jewish Agency for Israel