YISROEL-KHAYIM BILETSKI (BILETZKY)

YISROEL-KHAYIM BILETSKI (BILETZKY) (December 25, 1914-1992)

            He was a poet and literary critic, born in Kobrin (Kobryn), Polesye.  He graduated from a Tarbut high school in Pruzhane (Prużana).  In 1934 he moved to Israel.  He studied in university in Jerusalem.  He published literary critical treatises, poems, and current events pieces in Pruzhaner shtime (Voice of Pruzhane) and Kobriner vokhnblat (Kobrin weekly newspaper); and later in Israel in Al hamishmar (On guard), Osed (Future), Bashaar (At the gate), and Nayvelt (New world), as well as Tsukunft (Future) in New York.  Among his books: Far zikh (For oneself), a volume of poems (1937); Umru, lider (Disquiet, poems) (Tel Aviv, 1937), 102 pp.; Shveln, lider (Thresholds, poems) (Tel Aviv, 1938), 80 pp.; Vey un gloybn, lider (Pain and beliefs, poetry) (Tel Aviv, 1944), 32 pp.; Yidishe verter, leder (Yiddish words, poems) (Tel Aviv: Far zikh, 1948), 80 pp.; A mizmer dem tog, mizmor leyom (Psalm of the day) (Tel Aviv: Eygns, 1957), 91 pp., Hebrew translation by M. Amitay; Mayne vayse toybn, lider (My white doves, poems) (Buenos Aires, 1962), 112 pp.; Lider tsum mentsh (Poems for human beings) (Tel Aviv: Hamenorah, 1967), 166 pp.; 71 lider (71 poems) (Tel Aviv: Hamenorah, 1973), 141 pp., which was awarded the Pinski Prize; Baym kval fun kotsk, poeme (At the source of Kotsk, a poem) (Tel Aviv: Yisroel bukh, 1975), 117 pp.; Akher, poeme (The other one, a poem) (Tel Aviv: Peretz Publ., 1977), 104 pp., which was awarded the Yehoash Prize; Shures zekhtsn (Sixteen lines) (Tel Aviv: Nay-lebn, 1980), 151 pp.; Mame in yidishn lid (Mother in Yiddish verse) (Tel Aviv: Peretz Publ., 1980), 91 pp.; Ariyel in der alter haym, poeme (Ariel in the old country, a poem) (Tel Aviv: Leivick Farlag, 1981), 122 pp.; Shures tsvantsik (Twenty lines) (Tel Aviv: Leivick Farlag, 1982), 104 pp.; 40 balonen (40 balloons), poems (Tel Aviv: Yisroel-bukh, 1985), 45 pp.  A volume of his poems were translated into Hebrew by Avraham Grinshpan.  In Hebrew he published a series of books on Yiddish writers and Yiddish literature: Masot bishvile sifrut yidish (Essays on Yiddish literature) (Tel Aviv: Gazit, 1960-1963), 2 vols., which was awarded the Kessel Prize; Hashir vehameshorer, a. sutskever (The poem and the poet, A. Sutzkever) (Tel Aviv: Peretz Publ., 1962), 112 pp.; 77 shir, makor vetargum (sifrut yidish ben shete milḥamot olam) (77 poems, original and translation, Yiddish literature between two world wars) (Tel Aviv, 1970/1971), 265 pp., in mimeographed form; Ḥ. n. byalik veyidish (H. N. Bialik and Yiddish) (Tel Aviv: Peretz Publ., 1970), 162 pp.; Itsik manger (Itzik Manger) (Tel Aviv: Yisroel-bukh, 1976), 385 pp., which was awarded the Leyesen Prize; Elohim, yehudi, satan beyetsirat yitsḥak bashevi-zinger (God, Jew, Satan in the works of Isaac Bashevis Singer) (Merḥavya: Sifriyat poalim, 1979), 150 pp.; Avraham liyesin (Avrom Leyesen) (Tel Aviv, 1981), 29 pp.  He was active in Hashomer Hatsair (Young pioneers) and Mapam (United workers’ party).  He was living in Tel Aviv until his death.

Sources: Daniel Leybl, in Nayvelt (Tel Aviv) (1934, 1948); Yankev Glatshteyn, in Idisher kemfer (New York) (1948); Noyekh Gris, in Undzer vort (Paris).

[Additional information from: Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), cols. 83, 539.]