Israel Shamir
Israel Adam Shamir, also known as Israel Schamir, Jöran Jermas, Adam Ermash and Robert David (b. 11 June 1947 in Novosibirsk), is a Russian Israeli writer mainly on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, but also on other (Jewish) issues more generally.
Contents
Life
His background is disputed. According to Shamir, he is of Jewish ancestry and was born in Novosibirsk in Siberia in 1947. He became a Swedish citizen in 1992. Shamir converted to the Greek Orthodox Church in 2003. He has been accused of being a "Holocaust denier", which he has rejected. Shamir supports a one-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. His book Flowers of Galilee (2003) was banned for a time in France over allegations that it included anti-Semitism. The book also supported race mixing as a claimed solution to the conflict. The following account comes from Shamir's home page:
- Shamir was born in Novosibirsk, Siberia. A grandson of a professor of mathematics and a descendant of a Rabbi from Tiberias, Palestine, he studied at the School of the Academy of Sciences, and read Math and Law at Novosibirsk University. In 1969, he moved to Israel, served as paratrooper in the army and fought in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. After his military service he resumed his study of Law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, but abandoned the legal profession in pursuit of a career as a journalist and writer. He got his first taste of journalism with Israel Radio, and later went freelance. His varied assignments included covering Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia in the last stages of the war in South East Asia. In 1975, Shamir joined the BBC and moved to London. In 1977 to 1979 he wrote for the Israeli daily Maariv and other papers from Japan. While in Tokyo, he wrote Travels with My Son, his first book, and translated a number of Japanese classics. After returning to Israel in 1980, Shamir wrote for the Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz and the newspaper Al Hamishmar, and worked in the Knesset as the spokesman for Mapam (a Socialist Israeli political party). He translated the works of Shmuel Yosef Agnon, to Russian. As the First Intifada began, Shamir had left Israel for Russia. While in Moscow, he reported for Haaretz, but was fired for publishing an article calling for the return the Palestinian refugees and the rebuilding of their ruined villages. He wrote for various Russian newspapers and magazines, including the daily Pravda and the weekly Zavtra. In 1993, he returned to Israel and settled in Jaffa. He wrote for Russian newspapers both in Israel and Russia and contributed to various literary magazines. During this period, he also worked on a new translation of the Odyssey, which was published in 2000 in St. Petersburg, Russian Federation. In response to the Al-Aqsa Intifada, Shamir abandoned his literary occupation and resumed his work as a journalist.
In 2003, Shamir stated publicly that he is an anti-Zionist and has converted to Greek Orthodox Christianity. According to Daniel Domscheit-Berg (as of 2011), Schamir and his Swedish son Johannes Wahlström are gatekeepers for WikiLeaks. Shamir oversees the selection and distribution of information to Russian media and his son oversees that to Swedish media.
Bibliography
Books
- Flowers of Galilee (in English), Dandelion 2004, ISBN 1-893302-78-4.
- Pardes, Surge Books 2005 ISBN 1-4196-0601-8.
- Our Lady of Sorrows, Surge Books 2005 ISBN 1-4196-0835-5.
- Сосна и Олива, (Pine and Olive, in Russian), Wahlstrom Publications, 1987.
- Путешествие в Египет, (Travel to Egypt, in Russian) Tel-Aviv, 1981.
- Потаенные Прелести Планеты Земля, (Obscure sites of Planet Earth, in Russian) “Glagol”, Moscow, 1996.
- Xozyaeva Diskursa, (Masters of Discourse, in Russian) Gilea, Moscow 2003.
- Сосна и Олива 2d edition (in Russian) Ultracultura, Moscow 2004.
- Carri armati e ulivi della Palestina – Il fragore del silenzio (Tanks and olives in Palestine, in Italian) – Editrice C.T.R. Pistoia 2002.
- Blomar frå Galilea. Essay frå kanten av avgrunnen, (in Neo-Norwegian) Det Norske Samlaget, Oslo, 2002 [translated by Hans Olav Brendberg].
- L’autre Visage d’Israël, (in French) éditions Balland-Blanche, Paris 2003.
- L’autre Visage d’Israël, (in French) éditions Al Qalam, Paris 2004.
- Pardes (in French) Paris éditions Al Qalam, 2005.
- Blommor i Galiléen, (in Swedish), Alhambra, Malmo 2004 (Övers. av Ingvar Rydberg).[1]
- La lluvia verde de Yassouf (in Spanish), Ojeda, Barcelona 2004.
- Rasszista Állam? (Racist State, in Hungarian) Kairosz, Budapest 2004 ISBN 963-9484-90-3.
- Blumen aus Galiläa, (in German), Promedia, Wien 2005 ISBN 3-85371-231-2.
Articles
Translations
- S.Y.Agnon, In the Heart of the Seas, Wahlstrom Publication, Jerusalem-Stockholm,1981 S.Y.Agnon, In the Heart of the *Seas, “Raduga”, Moscow, 1991.
- S.Y.Agnon, In the prime of her life, “Panorama”, Moscow, 1996
- S.Y.Agnon, Collected Stories, Gesharim, Jerusalem 2004 ISBN 5-93273-148-6.
- James Joyce “Sirens”, “Cyclops” (chapters from Ulysses ), “22” magazine Tel-Aviv, 1984.
- James Joyce “Sirens”, “Cyclops” (chapters from Ulysses), «Vremja i my », New York.
- James Joyce “Sirens”, “Cyclops” (chapters from Ulysses), Anthology The Blue Laguna (Kuzminsky ed.).
- James Joyce “Sirens”, “Cyclops” (chapters from Ulysses), “Raduga”, Moscow, 2000 ISBN 5-05-005113-4.
- H. Herzog, Arab-Israeli Wars, OPI publication, London, 1986[2] republished Moscow 2004.[3]
- R. Chandler, Playback, Tel Aviv, 1986.
- G. Mocked, Metamorphoses, Leningrad, 1992.
- Homer, Odyssey, “Aletheia”, St. Petersburg, 2000.
- Abraham Zacuto, The Book of Lineage, 608 pages, Zacuto Foundation 2006
- ISBN 1-4196-1893-8 English annotated translation of medieval Hebrew chronicles.
