Sami Michael (, ; 15 August 1926 – 1 April 2024) was an Iraqi-Israeli author, having migrated from Iraq to Israel at the age of 23. From 2001, Michael was the President of The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI).
Michael was among the first in Israel to call for the creation of an independent Palestinian state to exist alongside the state of Israel. In his novels, Michael writes about the aspirations and struggles of both Jews and Arabs. This new approach in modern Hebrew literature was controversial and has been widely discussed in academia and in the media. Michael was awarded the EMET Prize in 2007. Michael defined himself not as a Zionist, but as an Israeli in order to make room for the inclusion of all citizens in Israel.
Background Born as Kamal Salah, Sami Michael was the firstborn of a large, secular, Jewish family in Baghdad, where his father was a merchant. Michael grew up and was educated in a mixed neighborhood of Jews, Muslims, and Christians in Baghdad. Michael completed his education in the Jewish educational system of Baghdad, in Shamash School, receiving his high-school diploma in 1945.
At the age of 15, two years after the outbreak of World War II, Michael joined and soon became a leader of a leftist (Communist) underground group acting against the oppressive regime in Iraq. Michael later wrote about this period of his life in his novel A Handful of Fog. Shortly after, aged 17, he began writing articles for the Iraqi press. His political activities led to a warrant being issued for his arrest in 1948, Michael was forced to flee and went to Iran. The Iraqi court sentenced him to death in absentia. In Iran, he joined the communist party, Tudeh. Unable to return to Iraq, Michael came to Israel in 1949.
Michael arrived in Israel alone, his family remaining in Iraq, joining him later (1951). In the early 1950s the majority of Iraqi Jewry left Iraq, forced to relinquish their Iraqi citizenship. However, Michael always held Iraqi citizenship, as he did not officially give it up.
In Israel, his sister Nadia married Israeli spy Eli Cohen. Cohen, a Mossad spy, was captured by Syrian authorities after achieving high-level penetration into the Syrian government, and was executed in 1965. Michael claimed that Mossad had originally tried to recruit him in the 1950s, and only turned to his brother-in-law after he turned them down.
Michael settled in an Arab quarter of Haifa, Wadi Nisnas. He was invited to work for a newspaper by Emil Habibi. Michael was the only Jew on the editorial board of Al Ittihad and Al Jadid (Arabic-language newspapers of the communist party), where he worked as an editor for four years. At the same time, he had a weekly column in which he wrote stories and articles under the pseudonym Samir Mared. His stories, while written in the spirit of "socialist realism", were laced with irony and humor. In 1955, disillusioned with the policies of the USSR, he terminated his affiliation with the communist party, and concluded his work on both papers: "I left the party but not the ideals of socialism."
Michael worked as a hydrologist in the north of Israel (for 25 years). He completed his hydrology studies at the British Institute (London) and went on to study Psychology and Arabic Literature at the University of Haifa.
At the age of 45 Michael embarked upon the project of mastering the Hebrew language. In 1974 he published his first novel, in Hebrew, All Men are Equal – But Some are More, about the lives of immigrants in transit camps in Israel in the 1950s. The title of the novel – Shavim ve-Shavim Yoter – became a well-known phrase depicting the struggles for equality of Jews from Arab countries. This book opened the door for profound discussion about the socio-economic gaps in Israel and also about the situation of the Arabs in Israel.
Sami Michael published 11 novels and 3 non-fiction books focusing on cultural, political and social affairs in Israel, 3 plays and a children's book. Most of Michael's books were published by Am Oved publishers. Michael left Am Oved in 2007 and moved to Kinneret Zmora-Bitan Dvir publishers after receiving a very attractive offer, granting him a fixed monthly salary. His first book that published with them was Aida. Michael also wrote numerous articles and essays. His writings and his social and political activities made him a household name in Israel. Michael was never an author of the establishment, which meant that he did not enjoy promotional or financial assistance.
Two cities feature in many of Michael's novels. Victoria, Storm among the Palms, A Handful of Fog and Aida, are set in his home town Baghdad, and Refuge, A Trumpet in the Wadi, Water Kissing Water, and Nabila are set in Haifa, his adopted city. Michael wrote about his departure from Iraq and arrival in Haifa when he wrote of his first day in Haifa, Israel:
In 1982, he left Haifa for 10 years, moving to the rural, northern Galilee town of Ma'alot, on the hillside overlooking a valley. It is here that he wrote the novel Brown Devils about rock hyraxes that frequently stole the fruits of his well-tended garden. In 1992 Michael returned to Haifa.
Sami Michael's Way – "The man is the crown of creation" (literary way) – is a route in the Wadi Nisnas, an Arab quarter of Haifa, named after Michael in 2002. Literary extracts from his novels are written along the walls of the route, both in Hebrew and in Arabic. Michael dedicated three novels to Wadi Nisnas, including A Trumpet in the Wadi.
In 2008, Michael was appointed an honorary member of the Arabic Language Academy in Israel.
In 1987 the Israeli High Court of Justice appointed Michael as arbitrator to decide on a matter of education and multiculturalism. The subject was widely covered in the press, and his decision was a precedent in Israel which still stands.
Michael was the chairperson of the Aachi Council, a council of Iraqi artists in Israel. He was a member of staff of the Jewish Quarterly in London.
In 1998, Michael hosted a 13-part series on the Educational Television channel on World Literature, where he engaged writers, researchers and scholars in discussion about their favorite literary masterpieces.
A number of documentary films and programs on Michael have been made. Michael is a nominee for the Nobel Prize for Literature.
In 2013, the Sami Michael Association was formed with the aim of upholding Michael's heritage. As of 2017, the nonprofit department awards individuals "who work for society with regard to reducing gaps and providing equal opportunities, in the spirit of author Sami Michael's concept of heritage, with an emphasis on social and geographical periphery." Among the winners of the award are Shula Mola, Yoav Lalom, Netta Elkayam and Ibtisam Mara'ana.
Michael died in Haifa, Israel on 1 April 2024, at the age of 97.
Writing Michael's mother tongue was Arabic. It took him roughly 15 years to make the move from writing in Arabic to Hebrew. He has defined the switch as a "miracle":
He wrote his first novel in Arabic, which won a prize awarded by the Communist Party. On leaving the party, he ceded publication of the book. Throwing the handwritten copy away, Unbounded Ideas.
Awards and citations
1976 (and 1990) – Zeev Prize 1978 – for literature, awarded by the Municipality of Holon 1981 – Prime Minister's Prize for Hebrew Literary Works 1981 – Petach-Tikva Prize for fine literature 1990 – Prize of the cylinder, Ministry of Education and culture and fund of culture America Israel, Omanut La-Am 1992 – Hans Christian Andersen Award – International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), Berlin 1993 – Victoria selected as novel of the year in Israeli Radio, Kol Israel 1993 – Am Oved Prize for Victoria 1993 – ACUM Prize for Victoria (1993) 1993 – Wizo Prize for Victoria (Paris) 1994 – Israeli Literature prize (by Ministry of Education, Science and Art) 1996 – Honor prize (Berlin) 1998 – International Rotary prize 1999 – Joseph Avileah Prize 2001 – special prize by Society for International Development (SID), promoted by United Nations and Italian Association for the Promotion of Peace in the Middle East (AISI), Italy 2002 – Awarded Key to the City, Haifa 2004 – Brenner Prize 2005 – President and Hebrew University Prize 2005 – Honorary of Beit Hagefen Arab-Jewish Center 2007 – Wizo Prize (Italy) 2007 – EMET Prize for Arts, Science and Culture 2008 – Gilboa Award for Tolerance and Coexistence 2012 – ACUM Lifetime Achievement Award for literature - "The Prize is granted for a long writing career that has spanned many years. Sami Michael has enriched the Hebrew literature in his unique, ground breaking work whose influence is far wider than just literature." 2012 – Ometz Decoration 2018 – Agnon Prize 2018 – Shulamit Aloni Prize for Lifetime Achievement
Honorary doctorates The Hebrew University (1995) "a distinguished writer of the generation that witnessed the early years of Israel's statehood, Michael sheds light on aspects of life that rarely feature in Israeli literature and empowers his work with a use of true-life artistry that strips away outmoded myths and hackneyed forms of description."
Ben Gurion University of the Negev (2000): "In his books, human beings are portrayed as they are – with their weaknesses and their virtues – with cold, at times almost cruel realism, yet always with compassion for mankind."
Tel Aviv University (2002): for "his significant contribution to Israeli culture as a unique literary voice and sociopolitical critic. His role in redefining the Israeli experience by broadening its scope and introducing previously unmentioned themes; his ground-breaking work as a protest writer who expressed the discrimination felt both by new immigrants and Israeli Arabs; his role as a leading figure in contemporary Hebrew literature."
University of Haifa (2009): "in recognition of his prolific literary contribution, which reflects the many faces of Israeli society with respect for mankind and its freedom. Michael's public activity that consistently expresses deep commitment to peace, justice and civilian rights; and his contribution to the advancement of mutual understanding between the different denominations and between Jews and Arabs."
Honoris causa
Honoris Causa from COMAS, The College of Management Academic Studies (2008): "For his contribution in Literature and for his activities on behalf of human rights".
Honoris Causa Degree from Beit Berl - The Multidisciplinary Academic Instituation (2012): "For his great contribution to Hebrew literature; for shaping the cultural landscape of Israeli society through his writings, way of thinking, and public activities; for promoting human and minorities rights in Israel; for nurturing coexistence between Jews and Arabs and encouraging values of equality and justice for all."
Social Activities Michael was known for his deep commitment to peace, justice and human rights. He was on the board of various councils. Michael was a true left-winger, both socially and politically. While still in Baghdad, he was aware of the social gaps in society, and from his youth, he was active in the struggle for equality and human rights. In Israel he never ceased to work for human rights.