ZEV BEN MOYSHE ZOLOTAROV

ZEV BEN MOYSHE ZOLOTAROV

            He was the uncle of the Yiddish writer Hilel Zolotarov.  He lived in Odessa.  He was a follower of the Jewish Enlightenment movement, a community leader, and a Zionist activist.  He was a member of the household of Mendele Moykher Sforim.  He published (also under the pseudonym Zev Ben-Moyshe) Hebrew and Yiddish poetry and current events essays in Yudishes folksblat (Jewish people’s newspaper), Hamelits (The advocate), Kol mevaser (Herald), and other serials.  He authored the pamphlet: R’ yoyelikls yontef (Reb Yoyelikl’s holiday) (Odessa, 1891), 36 pp, in which he attacked Y. Y. Linetski for his assault on Mendele; he also offered a stinging answer to Linetski’s ridicule of the Yiddish language and literature.  This was all written in Linetski’s language—a kind of parody of Linetski’s style.  The pamphlet can be found in the Yiddish division of Harvard University.

Khayim Leyb Fuks