Yigal Mossinson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Yigal Mossinson
Yigal Mossinson, 1954
Born	25 December 1917 moshav Ein Ganim
Died	May 1, 1994(1994-05-01) (aged 76)
Citizenship	Israeli
Occupation	Novelist, playwright, and inventor
Spouse(s)	3
Children	6, including Gili Mossinson
Relatives	Author Moshe Mossinson (brother); author Dvora Omer (niece)

A memorial plaque on Yigal Mossinson's home in Tel Aviv.

Yigal Mossinson (born December 25, 1917 – died May 1, 1994) was a famous Israeli writer, playwright, and inventor. He is best known for creating the popular Hasamba children's book series.

One of his most famous works was the play Casablan (1954). This play later became a very successful Israeli musical and movie called Kazablan. He won the David's Violin Prize for this play.

Who Was Yigal Mossinson?

Yigal Mossinson was born in 1917 in a moshav called Ein Ganim, near Petah Tikva, in what was then called Ottoman Palestine. He grew up in Tel Aviv. Later, he studied at Beit Alfa and the youth village of Ben Shemen.

Early Life and Military Service

From 1938 to 1950, Mossinson lived in the Kibbutz Na'an. In 1943, he joined the Palmach, which was the elite fighting force of the Jewish community in Palestine. During this time, he was arrested by the British authorities and held in Latrun prison.

In 1944, Mossinson published his very first story in a newspaper called Al HaMishmar. During the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, he served as a cultural officer in the Givati unit, helping to boost morale and share information.

Life After the Kibbutz

In 1953, after his novel A Man's Way was published, Mossinson left the kibbutz. He moved to Moshav Beit Shearim. For about a year and a half starting in 1952, he worked as a spokesperson for the Israeli police. After that, he became the spokesperson for the Habima Theatre, a well-known theater in Israel.

In 1957, Mossinson started his own theater called the Sadan Theatre, but it eventually closed down. In 1959, he moved to the United States and tried different businesses. While there, he helped turn his play Casablan into a movie, which was released in 1964.

Mossinson returned to Israel in 1965 and continued his writing career. In his later years, he also worked on developing new inventions, like a special vehicle for cleaning sidewalks.

Yigal Mossinson's Family Life

Yigal Mossinson was married three times and had six children. His first son, Uri, passed away as a baby. Another son, Ido (born 1941), died in 1973 during the Yom Kippur War. His son, Avital Mossinsohn (1939–1994), became the director of the Jerusalem Theatre.

Mossinson also had two younger children, Renen (born 1977) and Gili Mossinson (born 1978), who is now a professional basketball player.

Yigal Mossinson came from a family of writers. His brother, Moshe Mossinson, was also an Israeli author. Moshe's daughter, Dvora Omer, who was Yigal's niece, also became a famous Israeli author.

What Did Yigal Mossinson Write?

Yigal Mossinson's first story was published in 1944. In 1950, he published the first book in his famous Hasamba series. These adventure stories for children became incredibly popular, and he wrote 45 books in the series. The Hasamba series made him a nationally recognized children's author.

Besides his children's books, he also wrote many books and plays for adults.

Books Published in Hebrew

Plays Performed on Stage

Many of Mossinson's plays were performed in theaters:

Awards and Recognition

Yigal Mossinson received many awards for his writing, including:

• The Prime Minister's Prize for Literature.
• The Ussishkin Prize for his book A Man's Way.
• The Cleveland Prize for his play Cambyses.
• The David's Violin Prize for his play Casablan.

In 2004, Israel even honored him by featuring him on a postage stamp!