MIKHL ARONSON

MIKHL ARONSON (January 29, 1879-1963)

     Born in Zhitomir.  In addition to a Jewish religious education, he graduated from a Russian school.  He began while still young to write in Hebrew, and he authored a biblical poem entitled “Jonathan and David.”  He arrived in the United States in 1894 and one year later published a poem in Tageblat (Daily), later still in Teglikher herald (Daily herald), Shomer’s (Nokhum-Meyer Shaykevitsh) Pok (Puck), Obend blat (Evening newspaper), and Maslyanski’s Velt (World), among others.  In 1907 he was editor of Keneder odler (Canadian eagle), from 1908 a regular contributor to Tageblat until the newspaper’s demise, and then for Morgn-zhurnal (Morning journal) until that newspaper combined with Tog (Day) in 1953.  He wrote news as well as articles under the pen name of M. Rekhtman.  He authored novels and adapted legends from the midrash and Talmud.  Using the pseudonym Y. Man, he published satirical timely poems.  Among his books: Geto lider (Poems from the ghetto) (New York, 1901); In tsiens vayngertner (In Zion’s vineyards), poems and ballads (New York, 1936), 126 pp.; and under the pen name “Kleynmikhl, Yaktn,” a brochure entitled Di makhloyke tsvishn obend blat, opozitsyon (forverts end ko). (The dispute between Obend blat and the opposition, Forverts and Co.) (New York, 1897).  He died in Montreal.

Sources: Yoyvl-numer fun keneder odler (Jubilee issue from Keneder odler) (1927); Moyshe Shtarkman, in Yivo bleter (Vilna) (December 1932), pp. 353-87.