MOYSHE TOLTSHIN (TOLCHIN)

MOYSHE TOLTSHIN (TOLCHIN) (January 16, 1895-June 6, 1953)

            He was born in Makarov (Makariv), Kiev district, and he was raised in Chernikhov, Volhynia.  He attended religious primary school until age thirteen, later studying Talmud, Hebrew, and Russian at home.  Until 1914 he lived in Lodz, where he worked in a textile factory, before moving to the United States and settling in Chicago.  He served as a soldier, 1917-1918, in the American army fighting in France against the Germans.  He debuted in print in 1913 with a sketch—“Der nasher” (The snacker)—in Lodzer tageblat (Lodz daily newspaper).  In America he published articles, stories, children’s tales, and novels in: Tog (Day), Forverts (Forward), Di vokh (The week), Fraye arbeter-shtime (Free voice of labor), Yidishes tageblat (Jewish daily newspaper), Di varhayt (The truth), Der firer (The leader), Idisher rekord (Jewish record), the monthly Ineynem (Altogether) in Chicago, and Di idishe velt (The Jewish world) in Philadelphia, among others.  Over the course of many years, he was a regular contributor to Shikager forverts (Chicago forward).  His books include: In shtiln geroysh, roman (Amid quiet noise, a novel) (Chicago, 1929), 214 pp.; Ayola, a novele un andere dertseylungen (Ayola, a novella and other stories) (Chicago, 1933), 207 pp.; Dem vint antkegn (Against the wind), stories (Chicago, 1940), 87 pp.; Etlikhe dertseylungen (Several stories) (Chicago, 1949), 15 pp.  He also wrote under the name: A. Vintinfeld.  He died in Chicago.

Sources: Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 1; A. Sh., in Dray (Tel Aviv) (July 1929); B. Rivkin, in Shikage (Chicago) (November-December 1933); N[egel], in Tshernovitser bleter (Czernowitz) (September 23, 1934); Y. Glants, in Der veg (Mexico City) (December 31, 1940); N. Y. Gotlib, in Keneder odler (Montreal) (January 21, 1941); obituary notice in Forverts (New York) (June 7, 1953); Khayim Leyb Fuks, in Fun noentn over (New York) 3 (1957), p. 199.

Khayim Leyb Fuks