KHAYIM RAFALOVITSH

KHAYIM RAFALOVITSH (1888-June 18, 1927)

            He was a publisher and a writer, born in Raseyn (Raseiniai), Lithuania.  He studied in yeshiva until age fifteen, and in 1908 he was in a general education course of study in Vilna.  From 1920 he was in Kovno, where he was active with the Folkspartey (People’s party).  In 1921 he founded the publishing house Likht (Light) which brought out many books in Yiddish, a number for the Jewish schools in Lithuania.  He was a frequent contributor to the Folkspartey organ Nayes (News), edited by R. Ayziks.  He edited the daily Unzer tsayt (Our time) in Vilna (1920).  In book form: Tsum ershten mol, a komedye in eyn akt (For the first time, a comedy in one act) (Vilna, 1914), 31 pp.; and Roze, a drame in dray akten (Rosa, a drama in three acts) (Kovno: Likht, 1923), 88 pp.  He died in Kovno.

Sources: Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 4; Zalmen Zilbertsvayg, Leksikon fun yidishn teater (Handbook of the Yiddish theater), vol. 6 (Mexico City, 1969); Yor-ayn, yor-oys (Year in, year out) (Kovno, 1939).

Berl Cohen