(1924-2005)
Israel's premier satirist who was known for his biting wit. Born as Ferenc Hoffmann in Budapest, Hungary, he survived the Holocaust and immigrated (see ALIYA) to Israel in 1949, where he changed his name to Hebrew. A writer known for his books and movies, his 1964 play Salah Shabati lampooned Israeli society for making life hard for new immigrants. The eve of the Six-Day War (1967) marked the peak of Kishon's popularity in Israel, as he captured with sensitivity and humor the day-today atmosphere of a country under siege from the perspective of a Jewish Holocaust survivor, who was amazed and beguiled to realize that his country had managed to withstand the Arab threat to destroy him again and again.
While his popularity in Israel began to wane in the 1970s, Kishon won growing acclaim in Germany and German-speaking countries, where he received awards and secured staggering sales. According to his son, Kishon viewed his success in Germany as one of a "great feeling, that the children of my hangmen are my admirers." Kishon won Israel's highest civilian award, the Israel Prize for lifetime achievement, in 2003. He died in Switzerland, where he had spent much time in his later years. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon referred to him as "one of the cultural giants of our generation."
Historical Dictionary of Israel. Bernard Reich David H. Goldberg. Edited by Jon Woronoff..