Uriel Ofek (1926–1987)

Uriel Ofek was born in Tel Aviv, Israel, then the British Mandate of Palestine. His father Arie Popik was a poet. Uriel grew up in Giv'atayim and studied at the Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium. In 1944, aged 18, he joined the Palmach and served as a medic during Israel's 1948 War of Independence. He earned a doctoral degree in children's literature from the University of Toronto. In 1951, he became the co-editor of the children's newspaper Davar Li-Yadim, where he worked for many years. He published poems, short stories, articles, and studies on children's literature in various publications. He also wrote many books for children and edited anthologies of world children's literature. His plays were staged at children's theaters. He translated many children's books and folksongs into Hebrew. His encyclopedia of children's literature, Olam Ẓa'ir, was published in 1970. His best known book, Smoke over Golan (1979), centered on the 1973 Yom Kippur War. His wife Bina Ofek and two daughters, Atara Ofek and Amira Hachamowitz, are also writers and editors for children.