September 25, 1917
Amir Gilboa, one of Israel’s leading poets, is born in Ukraine as Berl Feldmann. He makes aliyah in 1937 with a group of 40 others. He serves in the British army’s Jewish Brigade during World War II and sees action in North Africa. He then fights in the Israeli War of Independence.
He is known for drawing upon his military experiences and biblical issues of morality to write his often contemplative and heavy poems. His many influential poetry collections, including “The Light of Lost Suns,” “Seven Dominions,” “Isaac” and “To Write the Lips of Those Asleep,” earn Gilboa the Bialik Prize in 1971 and the Israel Prize in 1982.