MOYSHE KLEYNMAN (MOSES KLEINMAN)

MOYSHE KLEYNMAN (MOSES KLEINMAN) (October 17, 1870-Octiber 28, 1948)

            He was a Hebrew and Yiddish journalist, born in the village of Holoptshinits, Podolia.  He came from a poor, rabbinic-Hassidic family.  In 1881 he moved with his parents to Mezhibozh (Medzhibizh).  He studied in religious elementary school, later in synagogue study chamber until he was eighteen years of age.  He was an external student.  For a short he took up business in Berdichev, where he founded the publishing house Ezra.  In 1903 he departed for Lemberg, in 1908 for Odessa, and in 1917 for Moscow.  He was one of the organizers of the first conference of Jewish community councils in post-Tsarist Russia.  Together with Ḥ. N. Bialik and a group of Hebrew writers, he left Soviet Russia in 1921.  After a short spell in Kovno (at the time on the editorial board of Idishe shtime [Jewish voice]), he spent a good number of years in Berlin and London.  In 1936 he settled in Jerusalem.  He was a leading Zionist journalist and for many years editor of the official Zionist organ Haolam (The world).  He debuted in print in Yiddish in Berditshever shpigel (Berdichev mirror), using the pen name Shapse Pakentreger.  Kleynman’s professional journalistic work began with his editing (1904-1908) Lemberger togblat (Lemberg daily newspaper).  He went on to contribute work to: Yudishe folkstsaytung (Jewish people’s newspaper), Fraynd (Friend), Der yud (The Jew), Untervegs (Pathways) in Odessa (1917); Der idisher kempfer (The Jewish fighter) in Philadelphia, Haynt (Today), Moment (Moment), Morgn zhurnal (Morning journal), Varhayt (Truth), Der tog (The day), Forverts (Forward), and Tsayt (Times) in London, among others—as well as in a large number of Hebrew publications.  He published also in Jewish periodicals in Russian, German, and Polish.  He wrote journalistic articles on topics in political economy, political philosophy, Zionist ideology, and literary critical essays.  In book and pamphlet form in Yiddish: Rabeynu shmuel mohliver zts”l (Our teacher Shmuel Mohliver, may the memory of a righteous person be blessed) (Berdichev, Ezra, 1898), 20 pp.; Maks nordoys naye berihmte rede in berlin Max Nordau’s new and notable speech in Berlin) (Berdichev, Ezra, 1898), 27 pp. (using the pen name: Makel); Der tsveyter tsienisten-kongres (The second Zionist congress) (Berdichev, Ezra, 1898), 48 pp.; an abridged Yiddish version of Theodor Herzl’s Alt-nayland (Old new land) (Cracow: Folksbildung, 1903), 100 pp.; Tsu brider tsienisten, erets-yisroel oder uganda? (To brother Zionists, the land of Israel or Uganda?) (Vilna: G. Garber, 1904/1905), 60 pp.; Di idishe kolonyal-bank (The Jewish Colonial Bank), with Yude-Leyb Foygl; Der goles (The diaspora) (Odessa: Zionist kopek library, 1909), 30 pp.; Unzer natsyonal shprakh (Our national language) (Odessa: Zionist kopek library, 1909), 28 pp.; R’ moyshe-leyb lilyenblum, zayn leben un tetigkeyt (R. Moses-Leib Lilienblum, his life and activities) (Odessa: Zionist kopek library, 1909/1910), 29 pp.; Der yudisher natsyonal-fond (The Jewish National Fund) (Petrograd, 1917), 48 pp.; Der shekel (The shekel) (Petrograd, 1918), 16 pp.; Der veg fun’m revizyonizm, a shrift tsu di tsienistn in ale lender (The road from Revisionsim, a piece for Zionists everywhere) (Jerusalem, 1938), 64 pp.  He edited the art magazine Milgroym (Pomegranate), vols. 3-6, with M. Vishnitser, and Rimon (Pomegranate) in Berlin.  He translated Yosef Klausner’s Yerusholaim, amol un haynt (Jerusalem, then and now [original: Yerushalayim beavar uvahove]) (London, 1926), 31 pp.  He also published several books in Hebrew: Demuyot veḳomot, reshimot letoldot vehitpatḥut hasifrut haivrit haḥadasha (Characters and levels, notes on the history and development of modern Hebrew literature) (London: R. Mazin, 1928), 334 pp.; Behitorer am (Awakening of the people) (1942/1943); and Leom banekhar (People on foreign soil) (Tel Aviv, 1943), 312 pp.  His pen names include: Makel, M. K., Tsiyoni Pashut, and Kore Vatik.  He died in Tel Aviv.

Sources: Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 3; Getzel Kressel, Leksikon hasifrut haivrit (Handbook of Hebrew literature), vol. 2 (Merḥavya, 1967); Chone Shmeruk, comp., Pirsumim yehudiim babrit-hamoatsot, 1917-1961 (Jewish publications in the Soviet Union, 1917-1961) (Jerusalem, 1962), see index; ); Sefer haishim (Biographical dictionary) (Tel Aviv, 1936/1937), p. 435; Itonut yehudit shehayta (Jewish press that was) (Tel Aviv, 1973), see index; Yeshurin archive, YIVO (New York).

Berl Cohen