Zivia Lubetkin (1914—1978) and Yitzhak Zuckerman (1915—1981) were leaders of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, which broke out on April 19, 1943, and has ever since been viewed as the ultimate symbol of heroism during the Holocaust. They were among the founders of the Jewish Fighting Organization (ZOB: Żydowska Organizacja Bojowa –Eyal) in the Warsaw Ghetto, its leaders, and among the few fighters, let alone commanders, who survived the uprising. Both were well-known personas in Israel, especially among the socialist Zionists and members of kibbutzim. When they immigrated to Eretz-Yisrael – Lubetkin in May 1946, Zuckerman in April 1947 – the entire Yishuv, from all political parties and movements, saw them as national heroes. For Lubetkin and Zuckerman, this was a great honor but also a burden. This book showcases the story of their lives in Israel, from the late 1940s until their deaths. It is a double biography of the Lubetkin-Zuckerman couple who built their lives in the shadow of the Holocaust and in the light of rebellion and heroism.
Dr. Sharon Geva, senior lecturer at the department of History at Kibbutzim College, Israel, speaks about her new book, Zivia Lubetkin and Yitzhak (Antek) Zuckerman: A Double Biography (Hakibbutz Hameuchad, Yad Tabenkin and the Ghetto Fighters’ House, 2023). Dr Geva’s first book, Women in Israel: The Early Years, was published by the Hebrew University Magnes Press (2020, in Hebrew). Her recent publications include: “‘And now you are married and you have two children:’ Female Witnesses at the Eichmann Trial,” Yad Vashem Studies 47 ]2[ (2019).
This program is co-sponsored by the Dr. Esther Grushkin Center for Arts and Culture at the Joan and Alan Bernikow Jewish Community Center of Staten Island.
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