MOYSHE-DOVID VIDREVITSH

MOYSHE-DOVID VIDREVITSH (January 18, 1867-January 1941)

            He was born in Vitebsk, Byelorussia, into a family of wealthy merchants.  He worked for thirty years as a Hebrew teacher in Warsaw.  During WWI he was a teacher in Jewish public schools in Ripin and Prushkov (Pruszków).  He wrote feature pieces, poetry, articles, and humorous sketches for: Hamelits (The advocate), Yudishes folksblat (Jewish people’s newspaper), and Hayom (Today) in St. Petersburg; and in the Warsaw dailies, Der veg (The way) and Unzer lebn (Our life).  By himself he published the humorous holidays sheets, Kol bo (Department store), and also several one-act plays, including: Itshe-meyer tsu di valen (Itshe-Meyer goes to the elections), a scene of the elections to the state Duma in Warsaw (Warsaw, 1906), 15 pp.; Di yudishe gmine (The Jewish community) (Warsaw, 1908), 16 pp.; and Der shoymer (The guard) (Warsaw, 1925), 23 pp., which was performed on stage.  In addition, he published: Gezukht un nisht gefunen, 1900-1928 (Sought and not found, 1900-1928) (Warsaw, 1929), 181 pp.; Di eybike shtim fun di neviim, geklibene sotsyale fragment fun yeshaye, yirmyahu, amos, ovadye un tilim (The eternal voice of the prophets, selected social fragments from Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, Obadiah, and Psalms) (Warsaw, 1939).  He died in the Warsaw Ghetto.

Sources: Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 1; Z. Zilbertsvayg, Leksikon fun yidishn teater (Handbook of the Yiddish theater), vol. 1; B. Mark, Umgekumene shrayber fun di getos un lagern (Murdered writers from the ghettos and camps) (Warsaw, 1954).