Born in 1905 in the vicinity of Zhitomir, he studied in a Jewish gymnasium (secondary/high school in Hebrew). As a youth he participated in Jewish movements and was the organizer of the committees of “Ha-Shomer Ha-Tsair” and “Ha-Halutz” in the Ukraine. At 18 he was put in jail for Zionism. Later, after becoming an artist, he connected all his art with Jewish life, working in many Jewish theaters and publishing houses—in Kiev, Kharkov, Birobidzhan, Moscow, Khabarovsk, Minsk… During the WWII he was an officer in the Red Army, marched from Minsk to Berlin and was honorably discharged in 1946 with the rank of captain, decorated with many orders and medals. After the creation of the State of Israel the desire to live in Israel became the purpose of his life. Kipnis was not a refusenik—he was an activist for repatriation to Israel, a teacher of Jewish history, language, culture, literature and folk traditions. An exit visa was given to him a couple of months after application, and on November 29, 1972, he was allowed to get as far as the border town of Brest. At the border, however, he was forced from the train and delivered to the investigation jail of the Minsk KGB where he spent half a year in solitary confinement. The charge: “Creation and management of underground Zionist anti-Soviet organizations”. Under the pressure of the international community, the investigation was interrupted and Kipnis arrived in Israel on July 13, 1973 at the age of 67. On April 26, 1982 Tsfania Kipnis had a heart attack and passed away.
From the eulogy in the “Krug” magazine #258 from May 26-th, 1982. Information provided by Ernst Levin.
