YOYSEF KHARIF-OSTRI (JOSEF HARIF)

YOYSEF KHARIF-OSTRI (JOSEF HARIF) (1901-February 11, 1980)

            He was born in the village of Pętkowice, Poland.  He moved with his family to Sosnovits (Sosnowiec), where he received both a Jewish and a general education.  In 1934 he made aliya to Israel, settled in Jerusalem, and later moved to Kibbutz Tzora.  He was active among the left Labor Zionists.  He wrote miniatures and reportage pieces in Nayvelt (New world) and other Israeli publications.  Among his books: Af randn fun teg, minyaturn (On the edges of days, miniatures) (Tel Aviv: Perets Publ., 1969), 431 pp.; Yerusholaim noent un vayt, minyaturn (Jerusalem near and far, miniatures) (Tel Aviv: Perets Publ., 1982), 244 pp.  He died in the Kibbutz Tzora.

Sources: Y. Emyot, in Forverts (New York) (January 17, 1971); A. Lustigman, in Yisroel-shtime (Tel Aviv) (March 19, 1980); Z. Tabakhovitsh, in Dorem-afrike (Johannesburg) (March-April 1980); Sh. Shveytser, Shures poyle-tsien, portretn (Ranks of Labor Zionism, portraits) (Tel Aviv: Perets Publ., 1981), 571-73.

Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), col. 273.