BEYNISH
ZILBERSHTEYN (BAJNYSZ
ZYLBERSZTAJN) (1902-November 1942)
He was born in a village in Torne (Tarnów) district, western Galicia. In his early childhood years, he moved with
his parents to Klimentov (Klimontów) and then later to Lodz. He studied in religious primary school with his
father, a poor itinerant teacher, and then on his own studied secular
subjects. In 1909 he was run over by a
wagon full of merchandise and broke a hand and foot, but because of his
weakened physical development, given the needs of his home, he was made to
study the furrier business, later a weaver of plush, a tailor; and later still he
worked as a private tutor, a theater prompter for a vaudeville troupe, and an
office employee. During WWI he was
dispatched by the Germans to forced labor on roadway repairs in Lithuania and
to the head of the German military staff on the eastern front. He returned to Lodz in 1918, later living
until 1922 in Kutne (Kutno). He was a cofounder
of the socialist youth organization “Tsukunft” (Future) in Poland and traveled
about giving speeches in its name through the Polish hinterland. In 1921 he switched to “di linke” (a leftish
coalition of groups). Over the years
1922-1935, he survived a variety of illnesses and was hospitalized in
Warsaw. From 1935 he was living in
Antwerp, ran a paper and haberdasher’s shop, at the same time as he was an
active contributor to the building of local Jewish cultural life. He cofounded and was a member of the
executive of the Parisian Jewish Cultural Congress (1937) and was secretary of
its Belgian division. He began his
writing work as a reporter for Lazar Kahan’s Lodzer folksblat (Lodz people’s newspaper) in 1916, and later,
under the influence of Dovid Eynhorn, published a poem in Lebens-fragen (Life issues) in Warsaw (1919). From that point forward, his published poems,
stories, novellas, novels, reportage pieces, and literary criticism appeared in:
Lebens-fragen, Folkstsaytung (People’s newspaper), Morgnshtern (Morning star), Der
shtrom (The current), Sotsyalistishe
yugnt-shtime (Voice of socialist youth), Yugnt-veker (Youth alarm), Dos
folk (The people), Dos fraye vort
(The free word), Oyfgang (Arise), Literarishe bleter (Literary leaves), Vokhnshrift far literatur (Weekly
writing for literature), Shprotsungen (Sprouts), Arbeter-tsaytung (Workers’ newspaper),
and Dos vort (The word)—all in
Warsaw; Naye prese (New press), Kiem (Existen), Arbeter vort (Workers’ word), Unzer
vort (Our word), Parizer zhurnal
(Parisian journal), and other Parisian periodicals; Dos naye lebn (The new life), Folksshtime
(Voice of the people), and Yidishe
shriftn (Jewish writings)—in postwar Poland; Tsukunft (Future), Yidishe
kultur (Jewish culture), Eynikeyt
(Unity), Zamlungen (Collections), and
Frayhayt (Freedom)—in New York; Lodzer tageblat (Lodz daily newspaper)
and Nayer folksblat (New people’s
newspaper) in Lodz; Belgishe bleter
(Pages from Belgium) in Antwerp; and Argentinishe
literarishe bleter (Argentinian literary leaves) in Buenos Aires; among
others.
In book form, he published: In eygenem kreyz (In one’s own circle),
poems (Warsaw, 1922), 48 pp.; Sankt helene-indzl,
a gezang in tsvey teyln (St. Helen’s Island, a song in two parts), a song
about life with an incurable illness (Warsaw, 1925), 45 pp.; Himen tsu oysgeleyzter erd (Hymns to
redeemed land) (Warsaw, 1927), 16 pp., confiscated by the Polish authorities; Eybik farmishpete (Forever condemned),
novellas (Warsaw, 1928), 171 pp.; Fintstere
dertseylungen (Dark stories) (Warsaw, 1929), 160 pp.; Broyt, roman in fir teyln (Bread, a novel in four parts) (Vilna,
1930), 226 pp.; Hura, zol lebn der kenig!
(Hurrah, the king shall live!), a dramatic satire (Warsaw, 1932), 32 pp.; Borekh shulman, dramatisher reportazh in
dray aktn (Borekh Shulman, a dramatic reportage in three acts) (Warsaw,
1934), 48 pp.; Karnaval, dertseylung
(Carnival, a story) (Warsaw, 1934), 60 pp.; Blut
af mayne hent (Blood on my hands), novellas (Warsaw, 1935), 128 pp. In addition, he edited the monthly Belgishe bleter (Belgium leaves)
(Antwerp, 1935-1938). Later, when the
Germans occupied Belgium, he was active in the underground movement opposing
the Nazis. In early 1942 he was seized
by the Gestapo and deported to Auschwitz Concentration Camp, and there he
assisted in the organization of the resistance; with a group of Belgian Jews,
he was set to be suffocated in the gas chambers. En route he defied the guards with a stone
and was shot on the spot. In 1957 his book,
Gezamlte lider (Collected poems),
with a foreword by his wife and a note by Meylekh Ravitsh, was published in Paris;
in it were collected poems from the last twenty years of his life, right up until
the day of his deportation from Belgium, April 10, 1942. He left in manuscript: Esn (Food), a novel in four parts.
Sources:
Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 1 (with
a bibliography); Sh. Zaromb, in Literarishe
bleter (Warsaw) (August 1, 1930); N. Mayzil, in Literarishe bleter (August 15, 1930); M. Ravitsh, in Literarishe bleter (September 12, 1930);
Ravitsh, Mayn leksikon (My lexicon),
vol.1 (Montreal, 1945), pp. 91-93; Shmuel Niger, in Tog (new York) (October 12, 1930); Eynikeyt (Moscow) (June 17, 1942); D. Tsharni (Daniel Charney) and
D. Lerer, in Tsukunft (New York)
(April 1943); Y.-Ts. Lemel, in Der
amerikaner (New York) (December 3, 1946); A. Tsaytlin and Y. Y. Trunk,
eds., Antologye fun der yidisher proze in
poyln (Anthology of Yiddish prose in Poland) (New York, 1946), p. 13; L.
Finkelshteyn, in Tsukunft (May 1948);
Finkelshteyn, Pidyen-hashem (Redemption of the Lord) (Toronto, 1948); B.
Feder, in Naye prese (Paris) (April
9, 1948); M. Kats, in Loshn un lebn
(London) (October 1948); M. Shulshteyn, in Parizer
tsaytshrift (Paris) 10 (1955); B. Kutsher, Geven amol varshe (As Warsaw once was) (Paris, 1955), see index; Y.
Emiyot, in Folksshtime (Warsaw) (July
6, 1957); A. Leyeles, in Tog (October
12, 1957); Dr. A. Mukdoni, in Tsukunft
(December 1957); L. Miler, in Zamlungen
(New York) (Winter 1957); R. Yukelson, in Zamlungen
(Winter 1958); Y. Papyernikov, Heymishe
un noente (Familiar and close) (Tel Aviv, 1958), pp. 235-36; M. M. Shafir,
in Keneder odler (Montreal) (January
25, 1960).
Khayim Leyb Fuks
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