MALASHA MALI

MALASHA MALI (1921-1999)

            She was born in Lodz.  She received both a Jewish and a general education.  She was active in the Zionist pioneer groups “Frayhayt” (Freedom) and “Hapoel hatsair” (The young worker) in Lodz.  From 1940 she was living in Russia, returning to Poland in 1946, soon thereafter leaving for the Jewish refugee-survivor camps in Germany, and from there to the state of Israel.  She began writing for Bafrayung (Liberation) in 1938 and later for Dos vort (The word) in Warsaw.  After WWII she contributed stories and poems to: Khoydesh-bleter far literatur (Monthly pages for literature) in Munich (1947); Bafrayung, Hemshekh (Continuation), and Der morgn (The morning) in Munich; Arbeter vort (Workers’ word) in Lodz; Yung-yisroel (Young Israel), Nay-velt (New world), Di goldene keyt (The golden chain), Yisroel-shtime (Voice of Israel), Letste nayes (Latest news), and Folksblat (People’s newspaper)—in the state of Israel; Yidishe kultur (Jewish culture) and Undzer veg (Our path), among others, in New York.  Her books include: Geviter (Thunderstorms), stories and sketches (Munich, 1948), 208 pp.; and Tsvey veltn (Two worlds) (Tel Aviv: Perets Publ., 1963), 240 pp.  For her story “Der forhang” (The curtain), which appeared in Di goldene keyt (Tel Aviv) 11 (1952), she received the Bimko Prize from the World Jewish Culture Congress.  She was last living in Givat-Rambam in Israel, a member of the writers’ group “Yung-yisroel.”  A story of hers was carried in Almanakh fun yidishe shrayber (Almanac of Yiddish writers) in Israel (Tel Aviv, 1962).

Sources: Y. Spartan (Goldkorn), in Bafrayung (Munich) (November 19, 1948); D. Tsharni (Daniel Charney), in Keneder odler (Montreal) (March 20, 1949); Meylekh Ravitsh, in Fraye arbeter-shtime (New York) (September 9, 1955); Ravitsh, Mayn leksikon (My lexicon), vol. 3 (Montreal, 1958), pp. 246-47; N. Mayzil, in Yidish kultur (New York) (November 1949); Khayim Leyb Fuks, in Arbeter-vort (Paris) (June 12, 1950); Shmuel Niger, in Der tog (New York) (September 6, 1953); Yankev Glatshteyn, in Idisher kemfer (New York) (September 2, 1954); Y. Gar, in Fun noentn over (New York) 3 (1957), pp. 164, 175; Biblyografye fun yidishe bikher vegn khurbn un gvure (Bibliography of Yiddish books concerning the Holocaust and heroism) (New York, 1962), see index.

Khayim Leyb Fuks

[Additional information from: Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), col. 362.]