YISROEL-GDALYE SHTEYNSAPIR (June 1890-1937)
He was a
journalist and playwright, born in Bialystok.
He studied with itinerant primary schoolteachers in Rajgród, later in yeshivas
in Bialystok, Slonim, and Lide (Lida).
He was active in Labor Zionism, and due to his party work he fled in
1907 to Holland and from there to New York, where he published several items in
Kundes (Prankster). In 1911 he returned to Bialystok, and
together with others he published the first Yiddish weekly newspaper in the
city, Hayntike tsayt (Contemporary
times). He later contributed feuilletons,
monologues, and articles on current events to Byalistoker togblat (Bialystok daily newspaper). He edited a Tseire Tsiyon (Young Zionist) weekly,
Frayhayt (Freedom) which came out for
two month, and Byalistoker folksblat
(Bialystok people’s newspaper) which came out for six months. In late 1924 he was a co-publisher of Di byalistoker shtime (The voice of
Bialystok); in early 1925 he contributed to Byalistoker
kuryer (Bialystok courier) (112 issues), and in 1926 published the daily
newspaper Der idisher kuryer (The
Jewish courier). He later became a
regular contributor to Dos naye lebn
(The new life) and in it wrote articles, notices, and feature pieces, also
using the pen names: G. Gaystfraynd, Unklus, Mefisto, A. Z. Dor, and Akhikim, among
others. A longer work by Shteynsapir was
entitled “Der vide fun gevezenem misyoner leybele tikotski” (The confession of
the former missionary Leybele Tikotski), which ran for six weeks in 1926 in Haynt (Today) and Tog (Day). He also wrote
several plays and one-act comedies. He edited
Byalistoker frimorgn (Bialystok
morning) (February 1933-December 1, 1935) and the weekly Lodzer lebn (Lodz life) (nine issues in 1934). He died in Bialystok.
Sources: Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 4; Khayim Finkelshteyn, Haynt, a tsaytung bay yidn, 1908-1939 (Haynt [Today], a newspaper for Jews, 1908-1939) (Tel Aviv, 1978),
pp. 209-10; Yeshurin archive, YIVO (New York).
Berl Cohen
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