ZELIG-YOYSEF SHNAYDER

ZELIG-YOYSEF SHNAYDER (before 1857-March 21, 1928)

            He was born either in Vizhun (Vyžuonos) or Mazheyk (Mažeikiai), Lithuania.  In the preface to a religious text of his, he signed his name: Zelig Yoysef Yudelevitsh Shnayder.  He studied in various Lithuanian towns: Vekshne (Viekšniai), Shavel (Šiauliai), Mazheyk, and Ponevezh (Panevėžys).  Before 1913 he was a religion teacher in Goldingen (Kuldīga), Courland.  He published storybooks and translations: Makel noam, zise epigramen (Sweet epigrams) (Vilna, 1904/1905), 16 pp.; Shire noam, zise lieder, fershiedene hebreishe und zhargonishe lieder in tsvey ṭheyl (Sweet poems, a variety of Hebrew and Yiddish poems in two parts) (Warsaw: Boymritter, 1901), 128 pp.; R’ mani hakodesh, a vahre geshikhte getrofen in vizhun (R. Mani the saintly, a true story encountered in Vyžuonos) (Vilna: Garber Epel Vash, 1904), 12 pp.; R’ yude haleyvi, fray bearbaytet nokh hayne (R. Judah Halevi, freely adapted from Heine) (Vilna: Garber Epel Vash, 1904), 24 pp.; Der alter melamed (The old teacher) (Vilna: Garber Epel Vash, 1905), 32 pp., a rhymed description of an old religious elementary school; Amre noam (Sweet words) (1907/1908), two parts, 16 pp. + 21 pp., part 2 (Pyetrkov, 1909); Seyfer tilim, im haataka lesafa yehudit hameduberet, zishe liblekhe gezang (The book of Psalms, with an edition in the spoken Jewish language, sweet affable song) (Vilna: Epel-Garber, 1913), 180 pp.; Mishle shloyme, amre noam (Solomon’s proverbs, sweet words), “here you have all the sayings from the wisest of all men, who of all men in the world God blessed him” (Vilna: Sh. F. Garber, 1914?), 140 pp.; Seyfer zise likht (The book of sweet light) (Shavel, 1923/1924), 16 pp.  He also translated the prayer book in verse form under the title Neim zemirot yisrael (Pleasant songs of Israel).  He additionally published booklets in Hebrew.  His pen name: Zish.  He died in Ponevezh, Lithuania.

Source: Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 4; treatises by Shnayder.

Berl Cohen