MOYSHE FRENK (MURRAY FRANK)

MOYSHE FRENK (MURRAY FRANK) (May 10, 1910-October 17, 1977)

            He was born in New York, and in addition to public schools, he studied in “Bet Sefer Leumi” (National [Hebrew] school).  In 1933 he graduated from the Jewish teachers’ seminary and worked at Jewish schools in New York and Washington.  He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in social sciences and a master’s degree in modern history and economics.  He also completed the course work for a PhD, but never submitted a dissertation.  Over the period June 1941-March 1943, he worked in the federal business administration in Washington as an assistant analyst doing economic research.  He was national director for information, 1945-1947, of B’nai Brith and edited the monthly periodical Bney bris nayes (New from B’nai Brith) as well as two editions of the yearbook Dos iz bney bris (This is B’nai Brith) (1946-1947).  From 1941 he was the Washington correspondent for Morgn-zhurnal (Morning journal), and from 1953 for Tog-morgn-zhurnal (Day-morning journal)—both in New York.  For 1946 and 1947, he also corresponded for: Di yidishe tsaytung (The Jewish newspaper) in Buenos Aires; Davar (Word) in Tel Aviv; Jewish Chronicle in London; and for the Palkor News Agency in New York.  He began publishing in Yiddish in Der amerikaner (The American) in New York (spring 1930).  He published poems in: Fraye arbeter shtime (Free voice of labor), Untervegs (Pathways), and children’s poetry, stories, and children plays in Kinder-zhurnal (Children’s magazine)—all in New York.  He also contributed to Hadoar (The mail) and Yivo-bleter (Pages from YIVO), as well as to other publications in Yiddish, Hebrew, and English.  Thanks to his efforts with the American State Department, 1800 Jewish refugees over the years of WWII were admitted to the United States in accordance with a special law.  In government circles in Washington, Frenk was an authority on Jewish matters.  He was an official representative of the Yiddish press at important press conferences, given by senators, congressmen, and high government officials.  Through his acquaintances with members of Congress, he furnished a great deal that enabled the U. S. Congress to recognize the slaughter of Jews on humanistic grounds.  He was a Jewish correspondent with an international name and a community leader with broad stature.  He died in Washington.  He published in book form: Medines yisroel in undzere teg, reportazhn (The state of Israel in our time, reportage pieces) (Tel Aviv: Nay-lebn, 1972), 204 pp.

Sources: Sh. Ts. Lerer, in Yidishe prese (Buenos Aires) (September 14, 1958); Y. Shtshavinski, in Yidish tsaytung (Tel Aviv) (April 2, 1965); Who Is Who in Commerce and Industry; Who Is Who in World Jewry.

Leyb Vaserman

[Additional information from: Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), col. 456.]