Abba Kovner

Abba Kovner

Abba Kovner (1918–1987) was a Lithuanian Jewish Hebrew poet, writer, and partisan leader. He was a cousin of the Israeli Communist Party leader Meir Vilner. [ [http://www.pww.org/archives97/97-07-19-3.html] ]

He was born in the Crimean Black Sea port city of Sevastopol but soon moved with his family to Vilnius (then in Poland, now in Lithuania) where he grew up and was educated at the secondary Hebrew academy and the school of the arts. While pursuing his studies, he joined and became an active member in the socialist Zionist youth movement HaShomer HaTzair.

In June 1941, Nazi Germany attacked the city, by that time in Lithuanian SSR, and after occupation established the Vilna Ghetto. Kovner managed to escape with several friends to a Dominican convent in the city's suburbs, but he soon returned to the ghetto. He concluded that in order for any revolt to be successful, a Jewish resistance fighting force needed to be assembled. He commanded the United Partisan Organization in the forests near Vilnius and engaged in sabotage and guerilla attacks against the Nazis. [ [http://history1900s.about.com/od/holocaust/a/kovner.htm] ] He is accused of violent repressions against local Polish and Lithuanian population. He continued his partisan efforts and survived through the Holocaust.

After liberation of Vilnius by the Soviet Red Army in July of 1944, he became one of the founders of the Berihah movement, helping Jews escape Eastern Europe after the war. He came to Palestine for a short period of time in 1945, and then returned to Europe to continue underground activities against Nazi POW's. However, he was deported from Europe back to Palestine, where he eventually fought in the Givati Brigade in the Israel War of Independence.

His book of poetry "Ad Lo-Or", ("Until No-Light"), 1947, describes in lyric-dramatic narrative the struggle of the Resistance partisans in the swamps and forests of Eastern Europe. "Ha-Mafteach Tzalal", ("The Key Drowned"), 1951, is also about this struggle. "Pridah Me-ha-darom" ("Departure from the South"), 1949, and "Panim el Panim" ("Face to Face"), 1953, continue the story with the Israeli War of Independence.

In 1970 Kovner received the "Israel Prize" for literature.

* See "The Modern Hebrew Poem Itself" (2003), ISBN 0-8143-2485-1
* See "My Little Sister and Selected Poems", trans. Shirley Kaufman (1986), ISBN 0-932440-20-7

References

External links

* [http://www.vilnaghetto.com/index.html Chronicles of the Vilna Ghetto: wartime photographs & documents - vilnaghetto.com]
* [http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Kovner.html Abba Kovner Biography]
* [http://history1900s.about.com/od/holocaust/a/kovner.htm Abba Kovner and Resistance in the Vilna Ghetto]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Abba Kovner — vorne rechts bei der Einsatzbesprechung mit Hagana Angehörigen des Kibbuz Jad Mordechai während des israelischen Unabhängigkeitskrieges, 17. Mai 1948 Abba Kovner (auch Abba Kowner; * 14. März 1918 in Sewastopol; † 25. September 1987 im Kibbuz En… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Abba Kovner — Abba Kovner,de píe al centro, tomada en 1942 Abba Kovner (Sebastopol, Rusia,14 de marzo de 1918 Israel 25 de septiembre de 1987) Fue un heroe de la resistencia judía en los países bálticos, durante y después de la segunda guerra mundial.… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Abba Kovner — Aba Kovner Abba Kovner (1918 1988) était un poète, écrivain et partisan juif d origine lituanienne. Sommaire 1 Jeunesse 2 Seconde guerre mondiale 3 Vengeance 4 Œuvre littéraire …   Wikipédia en Français

  • KOVNER, ABBA — (1918–1987), Lithuanian resistance fighter and Israeli Hebrew poet. Born in Sevastopol, Russia, Kovner grew up in Vilna. He was active in the ha shomer ha Ẓa ir movement and prepared to immigrate to Ereẓ Israel but the outbreak of World War II… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Kovner — is the surname of: *Abba Kovner, Lithuanian poet *Ber Kovner, Israeli politician *Bruce Kovner, American politician …   Wikipedia

  • Kovner — Kovner, auch Kowner bezeichnet: Abba Kovner Ber Kovner Diese Seite ist eine Begriffsklärung zur Unterscheidung mehrerer mit demselben Wort bezeichneter Begriffe …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Kovner — Kọvner,   Abba, hebräischer Schriftsteller, * Sewastopol 1918, ✝Ein Hahoresh 25. 9. 1987; überlebte den Krieg als Partisan in Wilna und kam 1945 nach Israel. Hauptthemen seiner meist durch ein nervöses Stakkato geprägten Lyrik und seiner Prosa… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Aba Kovner — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Kovner. Abba Kovner (1918 1987) était un poète, écrivain et partisan juif d origine lituanienne. Sommaire 1 Jeunesse 2 Seconde guerre mondiale …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Kovner, Abba — (1918 87)    Lithuanian resistance fighter and Hebrew poet. Born in Sevastopol, he grew up in Vilna. He was a commander of the Vilna Ghetto and fought the Germans as leader of the partisan groups in the surrounding forests. In 1945 he settled in… …   Dictionary of Jewish Biography

  • HEBREW LITERATURE, MODERN — definition and scope beginnings periodization …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”