MOYSHE BAKAL

MOYSHE BAKAL (April 15, 1890-December 27, 1972)

            He was born in Pinsk, Poland.  Until age eleven he studied in religious elementary school, later engaging with secular subject matter.  In 1907 he emigrated to the Chicago.  Over the years 1911 to 1914, he studied philosophy and sociology at university.  He was active in the socialist movement.  From 1912 he was publishing in the local Yiddish press: Idisher rekord (Jewish record) in St. Louis; Idishe arbeter velt (Jewish workers’ world), Idisher kuryer (Jewish courier), Di velt (The world), and the Chicago Forverts—all in Chicago; Fraynd (Friend), Naye velt (New York), Avrom Reyzen’s Nay-yidish (New Yiddish), and Ineynem (Altogether) in New York; among others.  He was a regular contributor to Morgn-frayhayt (Morning freedom) in New York, and he edited Di fraye yugend (The free youth) in Chicago, issue no. 2 (1917).  In book form: Di moderne kinder ertsiung (Modern children’s education) (Chicago, 1920), 27 pp.  He also translated a pamphlet, I. v. v., eyn groyse yunyon far ale arbayter, di greste zakh af der velt (I. W. W.: One big union for all the workers, the greatest thing on earth) (Chicago, 191?), 32 pp.  He died in New York.

Sources: Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 1; Morgn-frayhayt (New York) (February 1, 1973).

Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), col. 55.