Rukhl Fishman
Israeli poet
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rukhl Fishman,[1][2] (Hebrew: רחל פישמן) also spelled Rokhl Fishman[3] (10 June 1935 – 26 August 1984) was an Israeli poet who wrote in Yiddish. In 1978, she received the Itzik Manger Prize.
Rukhl Fishman | |
|---|---|
| Native name | רחל פישמן |
| Born | 10 June 1935 |
| Died | 26 August 1984 (aged 49) |
| Occupation | poet |
| Notable awards | Itzik Manger Prize |
Early life
Rukhl Fishman was born on 10 June, 1935 in Philadelphia,[1] to Jewish activists Sonia and Aaron Fishman.[4] Her brother was the sociolinguist Joshua Fishman.[4][5] In the years 1941–1949, she went with her brother to a secular Jewish camp in Boiberik,[4] and belonged to the Zionist youth organization Hashomer Hatzair.[6] Within the organization's structures, she met her future husband, mathematician and musician Theodore Holdheim.[4] At the age of 19, Fishman went to Israel with her husband.[6] The couple settled in kibbutz Beit Alfa,[6] where Fishman worked and wrote poetry.[4] Her neighbor and friend was Sore Shabes.[7]
Career
Fishman started writing poems at a young age, under the supervision of Malka Heifetz Tussman;[6][2] the mentor's influence can be seen in Fishman's passion for wordplay and the rare use of rhyme.[2] In Israel she joined the Yung Yisroel group, of which she became the youngest member[4][2] and the only person from this group who was born in the United States.[2] She was encouraged to write by Abraham Sutzkever.[1]
Fishman focused on writing poetry which described the immediate surroundings, nature or animals, avoiding topics popular among her peers.[2] Her works were published in the Yung Yisroel and Di goldene keyt magazines.[1]
Her debut volume, Zun iber alts, was published in 1960.[4] In her later poems, she described a progressive, debilitating disease.[4] Her last two collections of poems were published in bilingual editions, in Yiddish and Hebrew, although Fishman wrote only in Yiddish.[6]
In 1978 she received the Itzik Manger Prize.[4]