Leah Goldberg"Is It True"Stone Administration Building, Entrance floor
Leah Goldberg (1911-1970) was born in Germany, raised in Kaunas, Lithuania, immigrated to Israel (in 1935) and joined Avraham Shlonsky’s “Yachdav” literary movement, along with Nathan Alterman. From that point on, her work became an indelible part of the Israeli spirit, leaving a lasting legacy.
Most of us came to know Leah Goldberg as a poet, novelist, playwright, translator, critic, professor of literature, and Israel Prize laureate. She also illustrated several of the children’s books she wrote, revealing an almost hidden love: Painting.
As a child, Goldberg grappled with the choice of becoming either a painter or a poet. Ultimately, under the influence of her family, she chose the literary path.
But in challenging moments and periods, she often returned to her love of painting for solace and refuge. She frequently visited art exhibitions both in Israel and abroad, and painted whenever an opportunity arose.
This modest exhibition presents a small selection of the thousands of paintings and collages she created, preserved at the Gnazim Institute of the Hebrew Writers’ Association in Israel and the National Library in Jerusalem.
Our deepest thanks to the Gnazim Institute’s Chair, Adiva Geffen; Director of the Institute’s Archives, Hila Zurr; and Adv. Yair Landau.
האמנם | לאה גולדברג
לחן: חיים ברקני
ביצוע: חווה אלברשטיין
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הַאֻמְנָם עוֹד יָבוֹאוּ יָמִים בִּסְלִיחָה וּבְחֶסֶד,
וְתֵלְכִי בַּשָּׂדֶה, וְתֵלְכִי בּוֹ כַּהֵלֶךְ הַתָּם,
וּמַחֲשׂוֹף כַּף־רַגְלֵךְ ילִָּטֵף בַּעֲלֵי הָאַסְפֶּסֶת,
אוֹ שִׁלְפֵי־שִׁבֳּלִים יִדְקְרוּךְ וְתִמְתַּק דְּקִירָתָם.
אוֹ מָטָר יַשִּׂיגֵךְ בַּעֲדַת טִפּוֹתָיו הַדּוֹפֶקֶת
עַל כְּתֵפַיִךְ, חָזֵךְ, צַוָּארֵךְ, וְרֹאשֵׁךְ רַעֲנָן.
וְתֵלְכִי בַּשָּׂדֶה הָרָטֹב וְיִרְחַב בָּךְ הַשֶּׁקֶט
כָּאוֹר בְּשׁוּלֵי הֶעָנָן.
וְנָשַׁמְתְּ אֶת רֵיחוֹ שֶׁל הַתֶּלֶם נָשֹׁם וְרָגעַֹ,
וְרָאִית אֶת הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ בִּרְאִי־הַשְּׁלוּלִית הַזָּהֹב,
וּפְשׁוּטִים הַדְּבָרִים וְחַיִּים, וּמֻתָּר בָּם לנִגְעַֹּ,
וּמֻתָּר, וּמֻתָּר לֶאֱהֹב.
אַתְּ תֵּלְכִי בַּשָּׂדֶה. לְבַדֵּךְ. לֹא נִצְרֶבֶת בְּלַהַט
הַשְּׂרֵפוֹת, בַּדְּרָכִים שֶׁסָּמְרוּ מֵאֵימָה וּמִדָּם.
וּבְיֹשֶר־לֵבָב שׁוּב תִּהְיִי עֲנָוָה וְנִכְנַעַת
כְּאַחַד הַדְּשָׁאִים, כְּאַחַד הָאָדָם.