AVIEZER BURSHTEYN

AVIEZER BURSHTEYN (February 7, 1918-1996)

            He was born in Govorove (Goworowo), Poland.  He studied in religious elementary school, public school, and yeshiva, and he received rabbinical ordination.  He survived three ghettos (Vilna, Grodno, and Bialystok) and concentration camps.  From 1949 he was living in Israel.  From 1956 he served as director of the Technological College in Kfar Sitrin.  He wrote for Dos fraye vort (The free word) in Feldafing Displaced Persons Camp and Dos yidishe vort (The Jewish word) in Feldafing and later in Munich—he also edited the latter.  Starting in 1956 he published historical curiosities and Hassidic stories in Keneder odler (Canadian eagle) in Montreal, Amerikaner (American) in New York, Unzer veg (Our way) in Paris, Haynt (Today) in Montevideo, and Yidishe tsaytung (Jewish newspaper), Naye yidishe tsaytung (New Jewish newspaper), Shearim (Gates), Hatsofe (The spectator), and Letste nayues (Latest news)—all in Tell Aviv (he had a weekly column in the last of these).  Aside from Hebrew books, he published the following in Yiddish: Khsidim dertseyln (Hassidim recount stories) (Tel Aviv: Peretz Publ., 1976), 205 pp.; Khsidishe mayses (Hassidic tales) (Jerusalem: Eygns, 1977), 232 pp.

Sources: Getzel Kressel, Leksikon hasifrut haivrit (Handbook of Hebrew literature) (Merḥavya, 1967), vol. 1; D. Tidhar, Entsiklopedyah hachalutse hayishuv uvonav (Encyclopedia of the pioneers and builders of the yishuv), vol. 13 (Tel Aviv, 1963); Ts. Rayak, in Unzer veg (Paris) (March 28, 1960); Y. Shvaytser, in Yidishe tsaytung (Tel Aviv) (February 17, 1961); Sh. Kants, in Letste nayes (Tel Aviv) (September 23, 1977).

Reuven Goldberg

Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), col. 76.