Azriel Carlebach
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Dr. Azriel Carlebach (born Esriel Carlebach 7 November 1909 in Leipzig -12 February 1956) was a journalist and editorial writer during the period of Jewish settlement in Palestine and during the early days of the state of Israel. He was the founder and first editor of the newspaper Maariv.
Azriel Carlebach was born in the city of Leipzig, Germany, in 1909; descendant of a family of rabbis. His father was Ephraim Carlebach (1879-1936), a rabbi and founder of Höhere Israelitische Schule in Leipzig. Azriel had two sisters, Hanna and Cilly, and two brothers, David and Joseph. [1] He studied at a yeshiva in Lithuania and immigrated to Israel in 1927, there learning in the Mercaz haRav yeshiva, though afterwards becoming secular. He studied in the universities of Berlin and Hamburg, receiving a degree as a doctor of law.
He began his journalistic career in Germany, writing a series of articles describing his travels through the country; including an encounter with an antisemitic gang which left him severely beaten. On his return to Israel, he became a journalist at the newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, afterwards becoming its editor.
In 1948, while chief editor of "Yedioth Ahronoth", a disagreement broke out between Carlebach and Yehuda Mozes, owner of the paper. Carlebach and several senior journalists left Yedioth Ahronoth and founded a new newspaper, "Yedioth Maariv", which first appeared on February 15, 1948, with Carlebach as its chief editor. After several months, the paper's name was changed to "Maariv", to avoid confusion between it and "Yedioth Ahronoth".
Azriel Carlebach edited the "Maariv" newspaper from its founding until his death in 1956. While he was editor, "Maariv" became the most widely-read newspaper in the country. He is regarded as one of the great journalists of his period.
Carlebach and his paper opposed the Zionist Socialist party government and its head, David Ben-Gurion. He was also a leader in the opposition to the opening of direct negotiations between Israel and Germany after the war, and the Reparations Agreement between Israel and West Germany.
In 1952 after president Chaim Weizmann’s death Carlebach suggested Albert Einstein in a telegram to become Israel’s president. Einstein felt honoured but refused what he told Carlebach in a letter dated November 21st 1952 written in German.
In 1954, Carlebach spent a three-week trip in India. His book about the trip, "India: Account of a Voyage" was published in 1956 and became an instant best-seller, appearing in several editions in the twenty years after its initial appearance.
Dr. Carlebach died of a heart attack on February 12, 1956, at the age of 47. He is considered to be one of the most talented and influential authors of editorials in Hebrew journalism.
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- ^ * Sabine Niemann (Ed.): Die Carlebachs, eine Rabbinerfamilie aus Deutschland , Ephraim-Carlebach-Stiftung (Hrsg). Dölling und Galitz. Hamburg 1995, ISBN 3-926174-99-4, p. 152 (German)
