Ephraim Kishon was one of the giants of Israeli journalism, literature and playwrights. His life is a reflection of the Jewish people in the 20th century. As a survivor, a refugee youth reaching the shores of a strange culture writing from right to left, his talents would not be stopped, but maybe enhanced.

With a sharp wit, both favorably and critically, Kishon set before us an exact mirror from which the ups and downs, fears, arts and opinions of Israeli culture could be seen.

Ephraim Kishon was born in 1924 in Budapest, Hungary as Ferenc Hoffmann. He grew up in a completely assimilated Jewish family. His father was a banker, and his mother was the banker's secretary. Because of the family's total assimilation he could not speak Yiddish, the common language amoung European Jews, nor Hebrew.

At age 16 (1940) Kishon won his first prize, a Hungarian novel prize for high school students. Due to the holocaust and racial discrimination he was not able to go to university, and decided to become a goldsmith. This also did not come to much, as he had to spend most of his youth in hiding from the Nazis.

In 1944, Kishon was deported to Jolsva camp in Slovakia. He survived there, as he became the secretary of the camp commander, who wanted him as an chess player, and Kishon was an excellent chess player. He survived another instance, where a guard was killing every 10 prisoner. 'He made a mistake letting a satirist live', Kishon wrote later. He, his parents and sister survived the holocaust, while most of the rest of his family perished.

On rescue from the camps at the end of the WWII he returned to Budapest, but with the Russian invasion of Hungary, he was taken prison of war and almost sent to Belarus. He went on to study metal sculpture and art history with diplomas. He married his first wife Chawa Klamer in 1946. In 1948 he completed his studies. That same year he received first prize in the novel competition of the leading Hungarian literature paper »World« on his satire about a ‘racist’ regime discriminating baldies. This landed him a job with satire paper Ludas Matyi.

In 1949 Kishon immigrated to Israel, despite the fact that he as a writer had privileges and received a high income Budapest, but he could not stand living under the communist Stalinist regime.

It was upon immigration that his name was changed by the immigration authorities from his adopted name of Ferenc Kishont (a common Hungarian name) to Ephraim Kishon (Kishon - an Israeli river).

His first home in Israel was in an immigratant camp (maabara) where he clashed with the Moroccan immigrants, a clash he later described in the movie Salah Sabbati, one of Israel's most famous and important early movies. He later settled in Kibbutz Kfar HaHoresh near Haifa, where he worked as an electrician, farm-hand and latrine cleaner.

He soon began writing for Uj Kelet, a Hungarian language newspaper, where he later became a member of the editorial staff. His first publication was Blaumilch Canal, in translation, in Davar, a Hebrew language newspaper.

Hi earliest satirical writing were translated into Hebrew and published under the name, Immigrant Upon Us (Ha-Oleh Ha-Yored Al Hayenu).

In 1952 he went into seclusion in order to learn Hebrew, studying the language for 18 hours a day. This was necessary for anyone wanting to be a writer and a journalist. Other foreing language writers "died out" due to not having learned Hebrew.

Coming out of the Hebrew studies, Kishon started a regular satirical column in Omer, an easy Hebrew language paper. He soon begins to write for Maariv, one of the leading newspapers, under the alias of "Chad Gadja" (One Kid). This column was devoted primarily to political and social satire, but also included essays of pure humor. It soon became one of the most popular in the country. This same inventiveness in language and character creation was applied to his theater revues, books, films and plays.

Collections of his humorous writings have been translated into 37 languages. The majority
of his works have been sold in Germany. Kishon rejected the notion of "universal guilt" for the holocaust and had many friends in Germany. Kishon's expression on this, "It gives me great satisfaction to see the grandchildren of my executioners queuing up to buy my books."

Ephraim Kishon continued to be a chess enthusiast throughout his life, and took an early interest in chess playing computers.

In 1959 he receives his first international recognition, when his book "Look Back Mrs Lot", was chosen as a New York Times "Book of the Month", and being compared to giants such as Shalom Aleichem and Mark Twain.

This same year he founded his own theater "Green Onion" which existed till 1962. In 1963 he made the movie "Salah Sabbati" which received an Oscar nomination.

Ephraim Kishon was one of the most prolific of Israeli writers (5o books), translated into 37 languages and sold in 43 million copies.

Ephraim Kishon has receive innumerable prizes, too many to list here, including two Oscar nominations, and winning three Golden Globes Awards, as well as the Israel Prize (2002) for his life's work.

Ephraim Kishon died in 2005, leaving Raphael (Rafi) from his first marriage, and Amir andRenana from his second marriage to Sara, as well as five grandchildren.