Miriam Akavia (1927–2015)

Miriam Akavia was born Matylda Weinfeld in Kraków, Poland. The family spoke German as well as Polish and read classical literature in both languages. During the Nazi occupation of World War II, Miriam was first interned in the Kraków Ghetto, and then sent to the Kraków-Płaszów concentration camp, Auschwitz, and finally to Bergen-Belsen. She was eventually rescued by the Swedish Red Cross and recovered in Sweden. There she met Hanan Jakobovicz, a young Jewish refugee with whom she emigrated to the British Mandate of Palestine in 1946. In 1948, Miriam and her husband joined a group of other young refugees in establishing a new kibbutz called Nachsholim. They lived there for six years before moving to Tel Aviv, where Miriam trained to become a registered nurse. She also studied literature and history at Tel Aviv University. Beginning in 1957, Miriam worked in the Jewish Agency helping to care for new immigrants. She also worked in the Foreign Ministry and served as the Israeli cultural attaché in Stockholm and Budapest. Miriam Akavia has published 11 novels and other books since 1975. She has written mainly about her childhood, the Holocaust, and her war experiences. She has also translated Hebrew literature into Polish, and vice-versa. In 1978, she was awarded a Yad Vashem Prize, and has also received honors in Poland and Germany. As a president of the Platform for Jewish-Polish Dialogue, she organizes meetings with teenagers of both countries.