EVEN-SHOSHAN, AVRAHAM

EVEN-SHOSHAN, AVRAHAM (1906–1984), Hebrew educator, writer, and editor. His father, Chaim David Rosenstein (1871–1934), was an educator and Zionist leader, who was imprisoned by the Soviet government for his activities. Avraham was born in Minsk, and went to Palestine in 1925. He served as teacher and principal in a number of schools, and from 1954 until 1968 was director of the Bet ha-Kerem Teachers Institute in Jerusalem. His first literary efforts appeared in a children's magazine (Ittonenu) which he helped edit (1932–36). Subsequently he published stories, poems, and plays for children, and translated children's books into Hebrew. He is best known for a monumental Hebrew dictionary which he compiled, Millon Ḥadash Menukkad u-Mezuyyar ("New Vocalized and Illustrated Dictionary"), which originally appeared in five volumes and a supplementary volume (1947–58); a seven-volume edition subsequently appeared, which is now also available in other formats. His Concordance to the Bible listing and explaining the words and expressions of the Bible appeared between 1977 and 1979. Even-Shoshan was awarded the Israel Prize in 1978 and the Bialik Prize in 1981. His brother shelomo even-shoshan (1910– ) was one of the founders of kibbutz Sedeh Naḥum. He contributed poems, stories, and articles to the labor press and from 1944 was one of the editors at the Kibbutz ha-Me'uḥad publishing house. His books include an appreciation of Yiẓḥak *Katzenelson and translations from Soviet Russian literature.

[Getzel Kressel]