YANKEV (JACOB) RODAK

YANKEV (JACOB) RODAK (1894-1955)

            He was born in Mlave (Mława), Poland.  He studied in religious elementary school, later in a municipal public school.  In 1912 he came to the United States.  He debuted in print with poetry in Yidishes tageblat (Jewish daily newspaper).  He wrote poetry and impressions for: Groyser kibitzer (Great kibbutzer), Progres (Progress) in Brooklyn, Naye tsayt (New times), Naye post (New mail), Idishe velt (Jewish world) in Philadelphia, Idisher rekord (Jewish record) in Passaic, and Yidishe tsaytung (Jewish newspaper) in Cleveland.  With a group of young writers, he brought out the monthly Baginen (Dawn), in which he published articles on Yiddish writers.  In book form: Kunst un kinstler, ophandlungen iber undzere klasiker un batrakhtungen vegn dem etsem fun literatur oykh miniatur kriṭikn iber bikher un zayere shrayber (Art and artists, essays on our classic writers and considerations of literature itself, also miniature criticism of books and their authors) (New York, 1955), 256 pp.  He died in New York.

Sources: Sh. Teneboym, in Di shtime (Mexico City) (January 7, 1956; January 14, 1956); Zayn (New York) 8 (1956); Yeshurin archive, YIVO (New York).

Yekhezkl Lifshits