MENAKHEM-GERSHON GLEN (MENAHEM G. GLENN)

MENAKHEM-GERSHON GLEN (MENAHEM G. GLENN) (December 23, 1896-February 26, 1978)

            The adopted name of M. G. Glemborski, he was born in Meretsh (Merecz, Merech), Vilna region, into a traditional Jewish home.  His father was a teacher of Tanakh.  He studied in religious primary schools and in the Musar yeshiva in Shtshutshin (Szczuczyn), and later he began reading worldly literature.  He made efforts to write in Yiddish and in Hebrew.  In 1914 he emigrated to the United States.  He worked in sweatshops, later becoming a teacher.  In New York he graduated from an English-language middle school and in 1927 from Columbia University.  Thereafter he studied at Dropsie College in Philadelphia, where he received the title of doctor of philosophy in 1945.

            He first published a story in Bostoner idishe shtime (Jewish voice of Boston), in May 1915.  From that point forward, he published stories, sketches, and articles in Yiddish, Hebrew, and English in: Dos yidishe folk (The Jewish people), Idisher kemfer (Jewish fighter), Hatoran (The duty officer), Morgn-zhurnal (Morning journal), the English section of Tog (Day), Hadoar (The mail), Bitsaron (Fortress), Shevile haḥinukh (Paths of education), and Nyu-yorker vokhnblat (New York weekly newspaper).  He published a number of books in English and Hebrew.  In Yiddish: Rashi, der folks-lerer (Rashi, the people’s teacher) (New York: Yidishe lebn, 1940), 78 pp.  He worked as an instructor of Hebrew and Tanakh in Graetz College in Philadelphia.  Among his pseudonyms: G. Menakhem, M. Ostrinski, M. Meretski, M. Merkin, M. Bunin, M. G. Treynin, M. Gershon, and M. Giml.  He died in Philadelphia.

Sources: Y. Libman, in Nyu-yorker vokhnblat (September 20, 1955); Sh. Slutski, Avrom reyzen biblyografye (Avrom Reyzen bibliography) (New York, 1956), no. 5158.