MOYSHE-MORTKHE BLOSHTEYN

MOYSHE-MORTKHE BLOSHTEYN (May 1, 1894-November 20, 1964)

            He was born in Ushpol (Užpaliai), Kovno district.  His father, Avrom-Tsvi, was the local rabbi.  He studied in religious primary school, a Hebrew school, and graduated from a high school in Revel (Tallin).  In 1919 he emigrated to Canada.  He studied medicine, literature, and psychology.  He first published in 1925 in Dos yidishe vort (The Jewish word) in Winnipeg with a treatise on pedagogical issues.  He also published articles on psychology.  In book form: In farteydikung fun kind, an araynfir in psikhologye, kinder psikhologye un dertsiung (In defense of the child, an introduction to psychology, child psychology, and education) (Winnipeg, 1934), 437 pp.; Af di vegn tsum kinds neshome, hantbukh far lerer un eltern (On the road to a child’s soul, handbook for teacher and parents) (Edmonton, 1937), 223 pp.; A lerer redt zikh arop fun hartsn (A teacher opens up from the heart) (Atlanta, 1959), 690 pp.; Di yeshive togshul un di yeshive ketone (The yeshiva day school and the little yeshiva) (Mexico City, 1959), 82 pp. (imprint drawn from A lerer redt zikh arop fun hartsn); Dos letste vort, an esey iber ale vinkelekh fun yidish lebn (The last word, an essay on every corner of Jewish life) (Tel Aviv, 1963), 96 pp.  He edited two jubilee volumes for Branch 207 Workmen’s Circle, Atlanta, Georgia.  He was in charge of teachers for the Winnipeg Workmen’s Circle, middle school and beginners’ classes.  He was also a teacher in the Y. L. Peretz School in Edmonton and the Workmen’s Circle in Atlanta.  He died in Miami.

Source: Dr. A. Mukdoni, in Morgn-zhurnal (New York) (May 1, 1935).

[Additional information from: Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), col. 88.]