The Itzik Manger Prize for outstanding contributions to Yiddish literature was established in 1968, shortly before Itzik Manger's death in 1969. Manger "was and remains one of the best-known twentieth-century Yiddish poets."[1] The Prize has been described as the "most prestigious in Yiddish letters".[2][3] Apparently no Manger Prizes have been awarded after 1999.
The prize was initiated by Meyer Weisgal, who was frustrated when Manger—then very ill—was denied the Israel Prize.[4][5] The inaugural prize was given to Manger himself at a banquet on October 31, 1968. The banquet was attended by Golda Meir, then the prime minister of Israel, and by Zalman Shazar, then president. Subsequently, the prize was awarded annually, sometimes to several writers.[6][7]
- 1969: Abraham Sutzkever, Aaron Zeitlin
- 1970: Yankev Fridman,[8] Chaim Grade, Yoysef Kerler[9]
- 1971: Kadia Molodowsky, Yekhiel Hofer,[10]
- 1972: Maurice Samuel, Isaiah Spiegel[11]
- 1973: Isaac Bashevis Singer
- 1974: Joseph Buloff, Rachel Korn
- 1975: Rajzel Zychlinsky
- 1976: Arye Shamri, Leyzer Aykhenrand[7]
- 1977: Yehuda Elberg,[12] Hirsh Osherovitsh [he],[13] Yankev-Tsvi Shargel[7]
- 1978: Rukhl Fishman,[14] Meyer Stiker, Uri Zevi Greenberg, Eli Schechtman, Mordecai Strigler[7]
- 1979: Chava Rosenfarb, Shloyme Rotman, Shimshen Meltser, Shloyme Shenhod, Avrom Zak[7]
- 1980: Samson Dunsky,[15] Zyame Telesin,[16] Jonas Turkow, Tsvi Ayznman, Nakhmen Rap, Yitskhok Yanasovitsh[7]
- 1981: Binem Heller, Elias Lipiner,[17] Abraham Karpinowitz,[18] Malka Heifetz Tussman,
- 1982: Yaakov Zipper[19]
- 1983: Chone Szmeruk,[20] Moishe Valdman,[21] David E. Wolpe,[22]
- 1984: Rivka Basman Ben-Hayim, Yosl Lerner,[23] Eliezer Podriachik[24]
- 1985: Dov Seltzer, Itche Goldberg
- 1986: Pesach Burstein, Samuel L. Schneiderman,[25] Elias Schulman[26]
- 1988: Dina Halpern, Chava Turniansky,[27] Ruth R. Wisse
- 1991: Yossl Birstein,[28] Yonia Fain[29]
- 1994: Mordkhe Schaechter, Rafael Chwoles[30]
- 1997: Dovid Katz, Lev Berinski,[31] Yiddishpiel
- 1998: Dan Miron,[32]
- 1999: Chava Alberstein, Joshua Fishman, Yenta Mash[33]
- Zvi Kanar,[34] Joseph Mloteck[35]
Citron, Murray (2016). "Introduction: The Destiny of a Poem". PaknTrager. Yiddish Book Center. Introduction to Citron's translation of an essay written by Manger. The original essay was published in the Yiddish journal Der veker [The Awakener] in February 1960. Weisgal, Meyer (1972). Meyer Weisgal ... so far; an autobiography. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson. p. 320. ISBN 9780297993735. OCLC 16204852. Many of my creative urges are generated by anger. This was one of them. I rushed to the President, Zalman Shazar and told him, in Yiddish, that this was indecent, an outrage, provincial, etc. Shazar, it must be remembered, is a scholar in Yiddish, in Hebrew, in Russian, in German, etc. He is one of the most charming writers on the Jewish scene and the burden of the presidency has not obstructed the flow of his pen. I told him that I was prepared, on my own, to establish a Manger Prize for Yiddish Literature if he would accept the honorary chairmanship of the Committee.
Roskies, David G.; Wolf, Leonard (2013). "Introduction". The World According to Itzik: Selected Poetry and Prose. Open Road Media. ISBN 9781480440777. Anthology of Manger's writing. "Yiddish Literature". Encyclopedia Judaica. 2008. Among the most prestigious Israeli Prizes for Yiddish literary and other arts is that named after the great lyric poet Itsik Manger. Its recipients are among the finest Yiddish talents of the period: in 1976 poets Arye *Shamri and Leyzer Aykhenrand; in 1977 poets Hirsh Osherovitsh and Yankev-Tsvi Shargel and the Montreal novelist Yehude Elberg; in 1978 poets Uri Zevi *Greenberg (who wrote in Hebrew and Yiddish), Meyer Shtiker, U.S.-born Rokhl Fishman, novelist Eli *Shekhtman, essayist and editor Mortkhe Shtrigler ( Mordecai *Strigler ), and famed singer Nehamah *Lifshitz; in 1979 Shloyme Rotman, Shimshen Meltser, Shloyme Shenhod, Avrom Zak and novelist Khave Roznfarb [ *Rosenfarb ]. In 1980 Tsvi Ayznman, Yitskhok Yanasovitsh, Nakhmen Rap and Shimen-Yisroel Dunski won the prize.
Online version of the Encyclopedia. Fuks, Khayim Leyb (1986). "Yankev Fridman". Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers. Translated by Joshua Fogel. Retrieved 2019-03-19. Goldberg, Ruvn (1986). "Yekhiel Hofer". Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers. Translated by Joshua Fogel. Retrieved 2019-03-19. Elis, Benyomen (1986). "Yehuda Elberg". Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers. Translated by Joshua Fogel. Retrieved 2019-03-19. Kerler, Dov-Ber. "Osherovitsh, Hirsh". The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe. Retrieved 2020-07-27. Elis, Benyomen (1986). "Zyame Telesin". Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers. Translated by Joshua Fogel. Retrieved 2019-03-19. Diamant, Zaynvl (1986). "Elias Lipiner". Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers. Translated by Joshua Fogel. Retrieved 2019-03-19. "Moishe Valdman". Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers. Translated by Joshua Fogel. 1986. Retrieved 2019-03-19. Diamant, Zaynvl (1986). "Yosl Lerner". Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers. Translated by Joshua Fogel. Retrieved 2019-03-19. Elis, Benyomen (1986). "Eliezer Podriachik". Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers. Translated by Joshua Fogel. Retrieved 2019-03-19. Cohen, Nathan (March 1, 2009). "Chava Turniansky". Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia. Jewish Women's Archive. "Yossl Birstein". Institute for the Translation of Hebrew Literature. Retrieved 2019-02-24. Molisak, Alina; Ronen, Shoshana, eds. (2017). "Contributors". The Trilingual Literature of Polish Jews from Different Perspectives: In Memory of I.L. Peretz. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 383. ISBN 9781527502673. Dan Miron wrote an essay for this book.
- Citations noting the work Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers refer to Kagan, Berl, ed. (1986). Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers [Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers] (in Yiddish). New York: R. Ilman-Kohen. OCLC 654533179.
