DR. lea Mazor, The Hebrew University
Tablet with the text of the "Enuma elish " poem, 7th century B.C. copy
London, British Museum, inv. K3567
Sh. Shifra (the pen name of Shifra Shipman Shmuelovitch) was a poet, writer, translator, and researcher. Her formal academic education foreshadowed her extensive future creative fields. She studied Hebrew Literature, Education, and Kabbalah (at the Hebrew University, Tel Aviv University, and Levinsky College) and Sumerian and Akkadian at Bar-Ilan University.
Her most famous project is the book 'In Those Distant Days – An Anthology of Ancient Near Eastern Poetry,' which is the fruit of a collaboration between her and the Assyriologist Professor Jacob Klein from Bar-Ilan University. Together, they labored for about twelve years on translating into Hebrew epics, myths, hymns, prayers, love poems, lamentations, incantations, spells, proverbs, and more from Sumerian and Akkadian sources. The product of their work was published in 1996 (Tashna"z) by Am Oved publishing house, the Public Council for Culture and Arts, and the Enterprise for Classic Translations. The voluminous book (744 pages) includes, among others, the monumental works Enuma Elish – the Babylonian creation story, Atrahasis – the Babylonian flood story, and the Epic of Gilgamesh, alongside works like the cycle of Dumuzi-Tammuz - Inanna-Ishtar songs and lullabies. The translated texts are accompanied by introductions and notes, as well as black-and-white and color photographs of selected archaeological artifacts from the Louvre Museum in Paris, the British Museum in London, the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, and more. The book concludes with an essay on Mesopotamian literature – its historical and cultural background, its history, and its poetics.
Additionally, Sh. Shifra published translations of Sumerian and Akkadian works in the 'Haaretz' newspaper: "May your compassion be stirred, remove my distress!" a prayer to Ishtar for the welfare of King Ashur-nasir-pal I, 'Proverbs of Wisdom,' 'Instructions of Shuruppak,' 'Plow - daughter of a king and Hoe - son of poverty' (a debate between the hoe and the plow).
Her poetic soul is reflected in these translations as well as in her books of poetry: Shir Isha (A Woman's Song, 1962), Hatzad Haba (The Next Step, 1968), Shirei Midbar (Desert Songs, 1971), Hatzavim Nerot Neshama (Squills Soul Candles, 1985), Isha Shemitamnet Lehiyot (A Woman Practicing to Live, 2001), and Meshi Lahashta Li (You Whispered Silk to Me, 2007), and in her articles about the work of many of the greats of Hebrew literature.
Recognition of her work was expressed in the many awards she won. The last of these was the EMET Prize (2010).
To the question of why translate into Hebrew literature from thousands of years ago written in forgotten languages, she used to answer that the translation is important and worthwhile because it contributes to the understanding of ancient civilizations centered on humankind with its fears, dreams, and hopes – something that has not essentially changed from then until today. Mesopotamian literature, she said, is characterized by a dialectical perception of phenomena aimed at giving meaning to man and the world. As is known, the Bible was influenced by those civilizations, directly or through the mediation of Canaanite culture, in the fields of beliefs and ideas, language, and style.
Sh. Shifra conducted a series of lectures on the Broadcast University of Galei Tzahal (IDF Radio) which led to the book 'Words as Magic and the Magic in Words - Conversations on Ancient Near Eastern Literature,' published in 2008 (Tashsa"h) (Ministry of Defense Publishing House, The Broadcast University). In it, she discusses woman, knowledge, and death, the human aspiration to mediate between the world's contradictions, creation myths, the ways the gods are represented, and the poetic beauty of the works.
Sh. Shifra was a gifted teacher, lecturer, and prolific educator: dedicated, devoted, energetic, and charismatic (her father was one of the first teachers in the Land of Israel). I once invited her to lecture to my 'Revivim' students, and I will never forget the charm that flowed from her and swept us all away when she spoke about the importance of integrating texts from the Ancient Near East into the teaching of the Bible in school. To bring students closer to the Mesopotamian world, Sh. Shifra authored the book 'From Primordial Epics to Kings and Prophets - External Sources for the New Bible Curriculum' (2003, Tashsa"g). In the book, she deals with primordial epics, man and his fate in wisdom literature, law and society, kings, and prophets.
She also wanted to bring Mesopotamian literature closer to children, adolescents, and adults who love ancient tales, and for them, she wrote in fluent and captivating language the books: 'The Epic of Gilgamesh: The Story of the Friendship Between King Gilgamesh and His Friend Enkidu' with sketches by Menashe Kadishman against the backdrop of his mother Bilha Kadishman's naive paintings (2000, Tashas) and 'The Epic of Anzu the Great Eagle: Three Stories from Mesopotamia' with illustrations by Christina Kadmon (2009, Tashsa"t). A few days ago, her new book 'The Epic of Inanna-Ishtar in the Underworld' was published (2012, Tash'a"b). The Epic of Inanna-Ishtar in the Underworld is a tragic love story between Inanna-Ishtar, the goddess of love and war, and the fertility god, Dumuzi-Tammuz.
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