- Recha Freier
Recha Freier (born
October 29 1892 in Norden,Ostfriesland ; diedApril 2 1984 inJerusalem ) founded theYouth Aliyah organization in 1933. The organization saved the lives of 22,000 Jewish children by helping them to leaveNazi Germany forPalestine before the establishment of theState of Israel . In 1981, Freier was awarded theIsrael Prize for her work. [ [http://www.ifcw.org/news/reference/hamifal_israel_educational_children.htm IFCW ] ]Youth Aliyah activities
In 1932, when the Nazis began firing Jews from their jobs because of their Jewish origins, Freier conceived the idea of Youth Aliyah. "The utter senselessness of Jewish life in the Diaspora stood palpably before my eyes," she wrote. She devoted the rest of her life to the rescue of Jewish children and arranging for their transport to
Palestine . Freier left Germany in 1940 when she felt there was little more she could do there. Before immigrating to Palestine, she helped smuggle 90 Jewish children out of Yugoslavia.In 1957, Freier founded the Israel Composers Fund and sponsored the Israel Testimonium, a music event that took place in
Jerusalem andTel Aviv . She wrote poetry and prose, and some of her poems were set to music by German Jewish composers. ["A Letter to a Friend" No. 16, May 1984, Youth Aliyah, The Jewish Agency for Israel]Published works
"Let the Children Come!"
Commemoration
Kikar Recha Freier, a square in the Jerusalem's
Katamon neighborhood, is named after her.References
http://www.berlin-judentum.de/englisch/freier.htm
ee also
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Youth village
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