MORRIS RAYNHARD

MORRIS RAYNHARD (b. July 1872)

            He was born Moyshe-Dovid Openheym in Vishtinets (Vištytis), Lithuania.  He studied in a yeshiva in Suwalk, later in a secular high school.  He came to the United States in the 1880s.  He was a member of the anarchist “Riter der frayhayt” (Knight of freedom).  For many years he practiced medicine in Chicago, later moving to Los Angeles, where he presumably passed away.  His literary work began in 1898 in Dos likht (The light) in Philadelphia, before moving on to New York’s Yudishe gazetten (Jewish gazette) and Yidishes tageblat (Jewish daily newspaper).  For the latter he published original as well as adapted novels.  In book form: Af dem leyter fun hatslokhe (On the ladder of success), biographies of great American industrialists (New York: Sorezohn un zun, 1895), 58 pp.; and Edward Bulwer Lytton’s A velt unter dr’erd, oder der tsukunftiger dor, a shilderung vi di velt vet zikh fihren loyt dem nayem ordenung (A world under ground, or the future generation, a description as the world behaves according to the new order) (Chicago: Lidski, 1896), 91 pp., later edition (Warsaw: Progress, 1906), 113 pp.

Source: Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 4.

Berl Cohen