YANKEV SHTRAYKHER

YANKEV SHTRAYKHER (February 11, 1885-October 12, 1957)

            He was a poet and the author of stories, born in Balte (Balta), Bessarabia, into a poor family.  He left home early to learn a trade.  He participated in organizing Jewish self-defense in his city and its environs.  He was arrested for socialist activities.  In 1908 he made his way to Argentina and lived in Buenos Aires and for a short time in São Paolo.  He worked in wood carving.  He was one of the pioneer poets in Argentina.  Beginning in 1914, he published over 100 poems in Argentina’s Der tog (The day), Di prese (The press), and the monthly Di gezelshaft (The community).  He published poems also in: Argentina’s Oyfgang (Arise), Oyfsnay (Afresh), Groys un kleyn (Bog and small), and Penemer un penemlekh (Appearances, big and small).  As a Labor Zionist he contributed to the party organ Di naye tsayt (The new times) and later to Arbayter-vort (Workers’ word).  With Shmuel Glazerman, he brought the children’s magazine Blimelekh (Little flowers) and co-edited the journal Zeglen (Sails) in 1924 (3 issues appeared).  His poetry was included in Zamlbukh (Collection) of the Hersh-Dovid Nomberg Writers’ Association (1962) and in V. Bresler, Antologye fun der yidisher literatur in argentine (Anthology of Jewish literature in Argentina) (Buenos Aires, 1944).  In book form: Funken, lider (Sparks, poetry) (Buenos Aires, 1923), 103 pp.; Fun vaytn land, lider un poemen (From a distant land, poetry) (Buenos Aires, 1944), 131 pp.; Fun mayne heymen (From my homes), stories (Buenos Aires, 1953), 171 pp.; Kinder lider (Children’s poems) (Buenos Aires, 1961), 34 pp.  He died in Buenos Aires.

Sources: Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 4; Shmuel Rozhanski, Geklibene shriftn (Selected writings) (Buenos Aires, 1941), p. 151; P. Kats, Geklibene shriftn (Selected writings), vol. 7 (Buenos Aires, 1947), p. 50.

Yoysef Horn