Hanna Zemer
Encyclopedia
Hanna Zemer was an Israeli
journalist.
Born in Bratislava
, she was imprisoned in the Ravensbrück concentration camp
and the Malchow concentration camp
during the Holocaust
, and emigrated to Israel
in 1950. She was Editor-in-Chief of Davar
from 1970 until 1990, the first female editor-in-chief of a major Israeli newspaper.
(today Slovakia
). Her family was ultra-Orthodox. Her father was Rabbi Shlomo Haberfeld, and her grandfather, Rabbi Jacob Haberfeld, was the rabbi
of Turá Lúka.
During World War II, she was imprisoned in the Ravensbrück
and Malchow
concentration camps. Most of her family was killed in the Holocaust
.
Years later, she wrote a book entitled God Doesn't Live Here Anymore, in which she reminisced about her return visit to the Ravensbrück concentration camp:
In 1950 Zemer emigrated
to Israel . She was married briefly, and changed her married name from Zomer to Zemer. She taught in the ultra-Orthodox Beth Jacob school system in Azor
, in the south-east of Tel Aviv
.
In addition to teaching, she concurrently worked as a night editor for a German-language Israeli newspaper, Yediot HaYom. In 1951 she was hired as a correspondent
by the daily newspaper Omer, for new immigrants (with Hebrew vowels), which was a supplement of Davar. She then became a writer for Davar, and became its political affairs correspondent.
In 1961, she became director of Davar’s editorial board. Over time, she became a radio and television host. She advanced to become Davar’s assistant editor, and in 1970 became its Editor-in-Chief, which at the time was the most senior position held by a woman in Israeli media. At the newspaper, she changed its design, advanced young reporters, and created a new spirit in its writing. She remained as Editor-in-Chief for 20 years—the first female to hold the editor-in-chief title at a Hebrew newspaper. Zemer retired from Davar in 1990.
Zemer also published books, wrote for the Encyclopaedia Judaica
, and was elected to the board of the International Institute of Journalism.
For her reporting, Zemer won the 1972 Sokolow Award (awarded by Tel Aviv University
), the title of 1975 Israeli Woman of the Year, the Herzl Award
, the Nordau
Prize, the Ted Lurie Prize, B'nai B'rith
's 1993 Wolf Matsdorf Award for journalism, the Hadassah
Women's Organization's award for outstanding women.
In 2005, Zemer was voted the 189th-greatest Israeli of all time, in a poll by the Israeli news website Ynet
to determine whom the general public considered the 200 Greatest Israelis.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
journalist.
Born in Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
, she was imprisoned in the Ravensbrück concentration camp
Ravensbrück concentration camp
Ravensbrück was a notorious women's concentration camp during World War II, located in northern Germany, 90 km north of Berlin at a site near the village of Ravensbrück ....
and the Malchow concentration camp
Malchow concentration camp
Malchow concentration camp was one of the numerous sub-camps of Nazi concentration camp: Ravensbrück, located in Germany, which is believed to be first opened in the winter of 1943...
during the Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
, and emigrated to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
in 1950. She was Editor-in-Chief of Davar
Davar
Davar was a Hebrew-language daily newspaper published in the Mandate Palestine and Israel between 1925 and May 1996.-History:Davar was established by Moshe Beilinson and Berl Katznelson, with Katznelson as its first editor. The first edition was published on 1 June 1925 under the name Davar - Iton...
from 1970 until 1990, the first female editor-in-chief of a major Israeli newspaper.
Early life and internment
Zemer, who was Jewish, was born in Bratislava in CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
(today Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
). Her family was ultra-Orthodox. Her father was Rabbi Shlomo Haberfeld, and her grandfather, Rabbi Jacob Haberfeld, was the rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
of Turá Lúka.
During World War II, she was imprisoned in the Ravensbrück
Ravensbrück concentration camp
Ravensbrück was a notorious women's concentration camp during World War II, located in northern Germany, 90 km north of Berlin at a site near the village of Ravensbrück ....
and Malchow
Malchow concentration camp
Malchow concentration camp was one of the numerous sub-camps of Nazi concentration camp: Ravensbrück, located in Germany, which is believed to be first opened in the winter of 1943...
concentration camps. Most of her family was killed in the Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
.
Years later, she wrote a book entitled God Doesn't Live Here Anymore, in which she reminisced about her return visit to the Ravensbrück concentration camp:
On my travels abroad, and especially my trips to GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, I am very careful not to eat treif. It’s a sort of demonstration of solidarity. But here at the doorway, at Ravensbrück, I would have eaten pork if I could have eaten at all. I would have eaten steak with cheese to take revenge on God for the deaths of my aunts and cousins, who counted the days of their niddahNiddahNiddah is a Hebrew term describing a woman during menstruation, or a woman who has menstruated and not yet completed the associated requirement of immersion in a mikveh ....
time according to the law, separated hallahChallahChallah also khale ,, berches , barkis , bergis , chałka , vánočka , zopf and kitke , is a special braided bread eaten on...
from the dough, ran to the dayyanBeth dinA beth din, bet din, beit din or beis din is a rabbinical court of Judaism. In ancient times, it was the building block of the legal system in the Biblical Land of Israel...
with questions about a spot on a slaughtered goose, and read from the Ze’enah U-Re’enah every free moment—and their reward was to be humiliated to the dust and tortured until they perished. Five minutes from Ravensbrück, I would even have eaten a baby goat cooked in its mother’s milk. Instead, I took a Valium.
In 1950 Zemer emigrated
Aliyah
Aliyah is the immigration of Jews to the Land of Israel . It is a basic tenet of Zionist ideology. The opposite action, emigration from Israel, is referred to as yerida . The return to the Holy Land has been a Jewish aspiration since the Babylonian exile...
to Israel . She was married briefly, and changed her married name from Zomer to Zemer. She taught in the ultra-Orthodox Beth Jacob school system in Azor
Azor
Azor is a small town in the Tel Aviv District of Israel, on the old Jaffa-Jerusalem road southeast of Tel Aviv. Established in 1948, Azor was granted local council status in 1951. It was named for the ancient city of Azur , preserved in the name of the Arab village of Yazur...
, in the south-east of 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...
.
Journalism career
Zemer became a major journalist, and radio and television personality.In addition to teaching, she concurrently worked as a night editor for a German-language Israeli newspaper, Yediot HaYom. In 1951 she was hired as a correspondent
Correspondent
A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is a journalist or commentator, or more general speaking, an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, location. A foreign correspondent is stationed in a foreign...
by the daily newspaper Omer, for new immigrants (with Hebrew vowels), which was a supplement of Davar. She then became a writer for Davar, and became its political affairs correspondent.
In 1961, she became director of Davar’s editorial board. Over time, she became a radio and television host. She advanced to become Davar’s assistant editor, and in 1970 became its Editor-in-Chief, which at the time was the most senior position held by a woman in Israeli media. At the newspaper, she changed its design, advanced young reporters, and created a new spirit in its writing. She remained as Editor-in-Chief for 20 years—the first female to hold the editor-in-chief title at a Hebrew newspaper. Zemer retired from Davar in 1990.
Zemer also published books, wrote for the Encyclopaedia Judaica
Encyclopaedia Judaica
The Encyclopaedia Judaica is a 26-volume English-language encyclopedia of the Jewish people and their faith, Judaism. It covers diverse areas of the Jewish world and civilization, including Jewish history of all eras, culture, holidays, language, scripture, and religious teachings...
, and was elected to the board of the International Institute of Journalism.
For her reporting, Zemer won the 1972 Sokolow Award (awarded by Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University is a public university located in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel. With nearly 30,000 students, TAU is Israel's largest university.-History:...
), the title of 1975 Israeli Woman of the Year, the Herzl Award
Herzl Award
The Herzl Award is awarded annually by the Department for Zionist Activities of the World Zionist Organization to outstanding young men and women in recognition of their exceptional efforts on behalf of Israel and the Zionist cause. The award was first awarded in 2004, on the centennial anniversary...
, the Nordau
Max Nordau
Max Simon Nordau , born Simon Maximilian Südfeld in Pest, Hungary, was a Zionist leader, physician, author, and social critic....
Prize, the Ted Lurie Prize, B'nai B'rith
B'nai B'rith
B'nai B'rith International |Covenant]]" is the oldest continually operating Jewish service organization in the world. It was initially founded as the Independent Order of B'nai B'rith in New York City, on , 1843, by Henry Jones and 11 others....
's 1993 Wolf Matsdorf Award for journalism, the Hadassah
Hadassah
Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America is an American Jewish volunteer women's organization. Founded in 1912 by Henrietta Szold, it is one of the largest international Jewish organizations, with around...
Women's Organization's award for outstanding women.
In 2005, Zemer was voted the 189th-greatest Israeli of all time, in a poll by the Israeli news website Ynet
Ynet
Ynet is the most popular Israeli news and general content website. It is owned by the same conglomerate that operates Yediot Ahronot, the country's secondleading daily newspaper...
to determine whom the general public considered the 200 Greatest Israelis.