Dina Abramowicz facts for kids
Dina Abramowicz (born 1909, died 2000) was a very important librarian. She worked at a place called YIVO and was an expert in the Yiddish language.
Early Life and Learning
Dina was born in Vilnius, a city that was part of Russia at the time. Her parents were both teachers. Even though she spoke Russian first, things changed during World War I. When German soldiers took over Vilnius, they let Jewish people open their own schools. Dina's parents sent her to schools where she learned in Yiddish.
Later, at university, she studied Polish books and stories. In 1936, she finished her studies at Stefan Batory University, earning a degree in humanities (which means she studied things like history and languages).
First Jobs and the War
Dina's first job was at a children's library in Vilnius called the Kinderbibliotek. Soon after, she joined YIVO, an organization that studies Jewish culture.
During World War II, many Jewish people in Vilnius were forced to live in special areas called ghettos. A librarian named Herman Kruk started a library inside the ghetto, and he asked Dina to help. Dina wondered, "How can we think about books when things are so hard?" But people still wanted to read. In its first year, the ghetto library loaned out 100,000 books! Most of these were exciting stories that helped people forget their troubles for a little while.
In 1943, the Vilnius ghetto was closed down. Dina's mother was sent to a very dangerous camp where she lost her life. Dina was supposed to go to a work camp, but she managed to escape from the train. She then worked in a camp that processed winter coats for the German army. Later, she escaped into the woods and joined Jewish fighters who were resisting the war. She helped them as a nurse's helper.
Life in New York
After the war, Dina traveled to New York City. There, she met her father again, who had moved to New York before the war. In New York, she also met Max Weinreich, one of the people who helped start YIVO. Together, they worked to rebuild YIVO in America.
In 1947, Dina became an assistant librarian at YIVO. She continued her studies and, in 1953, she earned her master's degree in Library Science from Columbia University. In 1962, she became the head librarian at YIVO. She held this important job until 1987. After that, she became a research librarian and continued working until she passed away.
People who knew Dina remembered that she had an amazing memory. She was also a fantastic source of information about the Yiddish culture of Eastern Europe.
After she died, YIVO created a special award in her name, the Dina Abramowicz Emerging Scholar Fellowship. This award helps new scholars study Eastern European Jewish history and culture.
Awards and Recognition
Dina Abramowicz received several awards for her important work:
- Dr. Chaim Zhitlowsky Prize, 1987, from Yiddisher Kultur Farband.
- Dr. Berl Frimer Prize for Cultural Achievement, 1992, from the Congress for Jewish Culture.
- Leonard Wertheimer Multicultural Public Library Service Award, 1994, from the Public Library Association (part of the American Library Association).
