ELYE-PERETS BOYARSKI

ELYE-PERETS BOYARSKI (March 15, 1866-October 20, 1916)

Born in Grodno.  His father, the great-grandson of R. Tanchum, a disciple of the Vilna Gaon, gave him a rigorous religious education.  In the yeshiva he began to devote his attention to secular education.  He became a bookkeeper.  At the start of the 1890s, he left for London and from there went to the United States.  He wrote for Yidishes tageblat (Jewish daily news).  He lived for several years in California, and at the end of 1913 he settled in Chicago, and there he became the editor of Yidisher kuryer (Jewish courier).  He was a pioneer in the field of Jewish journalism in the West.  Among his pen names: Eykele Mazek, Alfonzo, Aliflis, A Lebezon, Af Bri, and Perl, among others.  He wrote articles and feature pieces, the majority of them under the titles, “Fun a vort a kvort” (A quart from a word) or “Eyn toyznt un eyn makheraykes” (1001 corruptions).  He participated in Jewish community affairs, as well as in municipal and national politics.  He died in Chicago.

Source: Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 1