NAKHMEN SHEMEN

NAKHMEN SHEMEN (March 15, 1912-1993)

            He was researcher, born in Chodel, Poland.  He came from a Hassidic-rabbinic family.  At age nineteen he received ordination into the rabbinate.  From 1930 he was living in Toronto, and from that point he contributed work to Toronto’s Der idisher zhurnal (the Jewish journal).  In it he published a variety of literary writings, mainly on Jewish religious and ethnic themes.  He also contributed to: Tog (Day), Tog-morgn-zhurnal (Day-morning journal), Amerikaner (American), Nyu-yorker vokhnblat (New York weekly newspaper), and Shuhl-leben (School life) in New York; Keneder odler (Canadian eagle) in Montreal, Dos idishe vort (The Jewish word) in Winnipeg, Der veg (The way) in Mexico City, Der veg in Chicago, Di prese (The press) in Buenos Aires, and Di idishe velt (The Jewish world) in Philadelphia, among others.  He also wrote for Orthodox Hebrew-language newspapers.  His works include: Fashizm in eyropa, zayn prognose un dyagnoze (Fascism in Europe, its prognosis and diagnosis) (Toronto, 1934), 193 pp.; Tsvishn krig un friden (Between war and peace) (Toronto, 1939), 324 pp.; Yude-leyb groybart (Yehuda-Leyb Groybart) (Toronto, 1943), 38 pp.; Harav r’ yude rozenberg (Rabbi Yude Rozenberg) (Toronto, 1943), 10 pp.; Di batsiung tsum fremden, loyt tanakh, talmud un rabonishe literatur (Attitudes toward strangers, following the Tanakh, Talmud, and rabbinical literature) (Toronto, 1945), 248 pp.; Di byografye fun a varshever rov, harov tsvi yekhezkl mikhlzon (The biography of a Warsaw rabbi, Rabbi Tsvi Yekhezkl Mikhlson) (Montreal: Der keneder odler, 1948), 88 pp.; Lublin, shtot fun toyre, rabones un khsides (Lublin, city of Torah, rabbinate, and Hassidism) (Toronto, 1951), 541 pp.; Dos gezang fun khsides, di rol fun khsidizm in undzere doyres (The song of Hassidism, the role of Hassidism in our generations) (Buenos Aires: Central Organization of Polish Jews in Argentina, 1959), 2 vols.; Batsiung tsu arbet un arbeter, sotsyale yoysher loyt toyre, talmud un yaades (Attitudes toward work and workers, social justice according to Torah, Talmud, and Judaism) (Toronto, 1963), 3 vols.; Batsiung tsu der froy, loyt toyre, talmud, yaades un literatur-shtudyes (Attitudes toward women, according to Torah, Talmud, Judaism, and literary studies) (Buenos Aires: Argentina YIVO Library, 1968-1969), 2 vols.; Kdushe in yidishn familye-lebn, loyt toyre, talmud, yaades un literatur-shtudyes (Sanctity in family life, according to Torah, Talmud, Judaism, and literary studies) (Tel Aviv: Perets Publ., 1977-1978), 2 vols.  He also edited, with Yankev-Yitskhok Vohlgelernter, the collection: Yoyvl bukh, 25 yoriger yubiley talmud toyre “eyts khayim” (Jubilee volume for the twenty-fifty anniversary of the Talmud Torah “Tree of Life”) (Toronto, 1943).  Among his pen names: Nakhmani, A Reporter, An Eygener, and Bar-Nash.  His surname at birth was Boymeyl.

Sources: Hillel Rogof, in Forverts (New York) (December 23, 1945); Yankev Glatshteyn, in Idisher kemfer (New York) (September 2, 1949); Y. Varshavski (Y. Bashevis-Zinger), in Forverts (December 30, 1951); A. Mukdoni, in Morgn-zhurnal (New York) (April 6, 1952); Yitskhok Yanasovitsh, in Di naye tsayt (Buenos Aires) (February 28, 1964); Nosn Sverdlin, in Tog-morgn-zhurnal (New York) (December 20, 1964); Arn Tsaytlin, in Tog-morgn-zhurnal (November 29, 1969).

Khayim Leyb Fuks