ELYAHU HUTNER

ELYAHU HUTNER (1879-September 19, 1958)

            He was born in Vitebsk, Byelorussia.  He studied in religious primary school and in yeshivas.  He traveled around as a preacher through various and sundry countries.  From 1926 he was living in Montreal.  From 1928 he was publishing articles and feature pieces in Keneder odler (Canadian eagle) in Montreal, Tog-morgn zhurnal (Day morning journal) in New York, and elsewhere.  Among his books: Meshiekh ben dovid (The messiah, son [descendant] of David) (1929), 125 pp.; In vos bashteyt dos glik fun unzer idishn folk (Wherein lies the joy of the Jewish people) (Montreal, 1931), 39 pp.; Hatoim: nokhn tanakh, medresh, kultur geshikhte un hayntige tsaytn (The misguided: after the Hebrew Bible, midrash, cultural history, and contemporary times) (Montreal, 1934), 64 pp.; Nefilim: nokhn tanakh, medresh, talmud, zoyer, kultur geshikhte un haytige tsaytn (Giants: after the Hebrew Bible, midrash, Talmud, Zohar, cultural history, and contemporary times) (Montreal, 1937), 64 pp.; Anekdoten un folks mayses (Anecdotes and folk tales) (Montreal, 1943), 64 pp.; Vos iz fort a id, un vi derkent men im? (What is a Jew after all, and how can one recognize him?) (Montreal, 1950), 64 pp.; Humor, satire, kibets, durkhgeflokhtn mit maamre khazal (Humor, satire, kibitzing, intertwined with the wisdom of the sages) (Montreal, 1953), 64 pp.; Redes un droshes (Speeches and sermons) (Montreal, 1956), 64 pp.  He died in Montreal.

Source: Kh. L. Fuks, Hundert yor yidishe un hebreishe literatur in kanade (A century of Yiddish and Hebrew literature in Canada) (Montreal, 1980).

Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), cols. 216-17.