YISROEL-KHAYIM POMERANTS (ISRAEL HAYIM POMERANTZ)

YISROEL-KHAYIM POMERANTS (ISRAEL HAYIM POMERANTZ) (1901-December 8, 1962)

            He was born in Brusilov (Brusyliv), Ukraine.  He studied in religious elementary school, yeshiva, and high school.  He came to the United States in 1922.  For many years he was a teacher in the Sholem Aleichem Folk School and Middle School in Chicago.  Later in New York he held a high position in the Manischewitz Matzo Company.  In 1954 he received a doctoral degree from Yeshiva University for his work, “Meshiekh motivn in der amerikaner-yidisher poezye” (Messianic motifs in American Yiddish poetry).  In 1958 he became instructor in the department of Jewish literature at Roosevelt College in Chicago.  Two years later he was an associate professor of Jewish literature.  He was active in YIVO, chairman of the management committee for the Groyse verterbukh fun der yidisher shprakh (Great dictionary of the Yiddish language) (1954-1958).  He edited: the anthology Yung-yidish zamlbukh, shafungen fun talmidim fun di sholem aleykhem folkshuln, mitlshul un abituryentn (Young Yiddish anthology, creations of students in the Sholem Aleichem Folk Schools, Middle School, and graduates) (Chicago, 1936), 135 pp.; Afn shayd-veg, zamlshrifṭ fun der sholem aleykhem mitlshul (At the crossroad, collection of the Sholem Aleichem Middle School), with A. Provotinger (Chicago, 1937), 41 pp.; Yoyvl-bukh tsu l. m. shteyns finf un tsvantsik yorikn yubiley fun kultur-gezelshaftlekher tetikayt (Jubilee volume for L. M. Stein’s twenty-fifth year of community cultural activity) (Chicago, 1938), 258 pp.; Shul pinkes (School records), which includes his essay “Tsum tikn fun undzer shul-arbet” (On improving our school work), edited with Y. Mark, Sh. Berkovitsh, and Dr. M. Bronshteyn (Chicago, 1946), 674 pp.  He also published the book: Meshiekh motivn in der amerikaner-yidisher poezye, with a foreword by Y. Zilberberg (Haifa, 1966), 158 pp.  He died in Chicago.

Sources: A. Oyerbakh, in Tog-morgn-zhurnal (New York) (April 14, 1961); B. Shefner, in Forverts (New York) (June 3, 1961); A. Glants, in Tog-morgn-zhurnal (June 13, 1962); Y. Sigal, in Forverts (July 10, 1962); A. Tsaytlin, in Tog-morgn-zhurnal (July 27, 1962); Sh. Davidovitsh, Shriftn (Writings) (Buenos Aires, 1962), pp. 415-16; Yefim Yeshurin, 100 yor moderne yidishe literatur, biblyografisher tsushteyer (100 years of modern Yiddish literature, bibliographical contribution) (New York, 1966), p. 493.

Leyb Vaserman