MOYSHE (MOISÉS) RUBIN

MOYSHE (MOISÉS) RUBIN (1856-August 2, 1940)

            He was born in Izmail, Bessarabia.  He received a traditional Jewish education, studying Talmud with commentators and preparing for rabbinical ordination.  In 1906 he made his way to Argentina.  He was a private teacher and active in the community, especially as a Zionist.  He wrote articles, stories, biographies, historical legends, and book-length works of history.  He contributed to Argentinian serials publications: Der tsienist (The Zionist), Di idishe hofenung (The Jewish hope), Di idishe velt (The Jewish world), Der fertheydiger (The defender), Folksblat (People’s newspaper), Idish-argentiner vokhenblat (Jewish-Argentinian weekly newspaper), Der tog (The day), and Di idishe tsaytung (The Jewish newspaper) in which he published such novels as Fhilon un apyon (Philo and Apion).  From 1924 he was a regular contributor to: Penemer un penemlekh (Appearances, big and small), in which he wrote the section “Di sedre fun der vokh” (The biblical portion of the week).  He was one of the pioneer Yiddish journalists and writers in Argentina.  His books include: Hantbukh far idisher geshikhte un khronologye, fun der ongenumener biblisher era fun ṿelt-bashafung biz dem onhoyb fun 19-tn yorhundert (Handbook for Jewish history and chronology of the conventional biblical era from the creation of the world until the beginning of the nineteenth century) (Buenos Aires, 1933-1934), 3 vols.; Maimonides, rabi moyshe ben maymon, zayn lebn un shafn (Maimonides, Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, his life and work) (Buenos Aires, 1935), 62 pp.; Idishe historye far shul-kinder (Jewish history for school children) (Buenos Aires, 1935), 272 pp.; Der zeyde un dos eynikl, tsum hundert yorikn yubileum funm groysn vort-kinstler sholem yanḳev abramovitsh (mendele moykher sforim), un tsum tsvantsiksṭn yortsayt fun sholem rabinovitsh (sholem aleykhem) (The grandfather and the grandchild, on the 100^th anniversary of the great wordsmith Sholem-Yankev Abramovitsh [Mendele Moykher-Sforim] and the twentieth anniversary of the death of Sholem Rabinovitsh [Sholem-Aleichem]) (Buenos Aires, 1936), 63 pp.; Fun ale oytsres, leyen-bukh far shiler fun idishe shuln in di hekhere gradn (Of all treasures, a reader for pupils in Jewish schools in the higher grades) (Buenos Aires, 1937), 159 pp.; Hant-bukh far idishe traditsyes un minhogim, vos vern durkhgefirt in shil un in hoyz (Handbook for Jewish traditions and customs, that are performed in school and in the home) (Buenos Aires, 1937), 96 pp.; Hagode shel peysekh sheyni, kemineg ashkenaz, poyln un rumenye (Haggadah for the second Passover, following the customs of Ashkenaz, Poland, and Romania) (Buenos Aires, 1938), 42 pp.; Der edemiter, a historisher roman fun der khashmenoim epokhe (The Edomite, a historical novel from the Hasmonean epoch) (Buenos Aires, 1938), 166 pp.; Yisroel vanderman, a vundebare geshikhte (Israel the wanderer, a wonderful history) (Buenos Aires, 1938), 43 pp.; R’ yisroel bal shem tov, an oysfirlikhe lebns beshraybung fun’m besht, der shafer fun’m khsidizm (Rabbi Israel Bal Shem Tov, a detailed biography of the Besht, the founder of Hassidism) (Buenos Aires, 1938), 36 pp.; Di feder (poeme) (The pen, a poem) (Buenos Aires, 1939), 10 pp.; Vayte…un noente, rabi yude haleyvi un rabi shloyme yitskhoḳi (rashi), a kharakteristishe ophandlung fun zeyer lebn un shafn (Far…and near, Rabbi Judah Halevi and Rabbi Shelomo Yitsḥaki [Rashi], a character treatment of their life and work) (Buenos Aires, 1940), 95 pp.  He died in Buenos Aires.

Sources: Argentine (Argentina), a collection from Di prese (Buenos Aires, 1938), p. 80; V. Bresler, Antologye fun der yidisher literatur in argentine (Anthology of Jewish literature in Argentina) (Buenos Aires, 1944); P. Kats, Geklibene shriftn (Selected writings), vol. 7 (Buenos Aires, 1947), pp. 16-17; Yeshurin archive, YIVO (New York).

Yoysef Horn