ELIM BORNSHTEYN (BORNSZTAJN)

ELIM BORNSHTEYN (BORNSZTAJN)

He came from Radom, Poland.  In his youth he acquired considerable Jewish learning as well as a general education.  For many years he worked as a teacher in Tsisho (Central Jewish School Organization) schools in Warsaw and Shedlets (Siedlce).  He taught Hebrew, Jewish history, and Yiddish language and literature.  Between the two world wars, he was active as a translator from European literature into Yiddish.  Among his translations: Hanns Heinz Ewers, Alraune (Y. Alroyne = Mandrake) (Warsaw, 1925), 494 pp.; Ewers, Der Zauberlehrling (Dem mekhashefs talmid = The Sorcerer’s Apprentice) (Warsaw, 1926), 238 pp.; Ewers, [Y.] Di yidn fun yeb (= The Jews from Yeb) (Warsaw, 1928), 72 pp.; Ewers, Vampyr (Y. Vampir = Vampire) (Warsaw, 1928), 2 vols., 261 pp. and 301 pp.; Professor Ernst Haeckel, Die Welträtsel (Y. Di velt-retenish, populere shtudyes iber monistisher filosofye = The riddle of the universe, popular studies of monistic philosophy) (Warsaw-New York, 1929), 352 pp.; Otto Weininger, Geschlecht und Charakter (Y. Geshlekht un kharakter = Sex and character) (Warsaw-New York, 1929), 352 pp.; Adam Szela̜gowski, Dzieje powszechne i cywilizacji (Y. Algemeyne geshikhte un geshikhte fun der tsivilizatsye = General history and history of civilization) (Warsaw, 1930), 351 pp.; Upton Sinclair, Letters to Judd, an American Workingman (Y. Briv tsu arbeter) (Warsaw-New York, 1930-1931); Ludwig Renn, Krieg (Y. Milkhome = War) (Warsaw, 1930-1931), 2 vols.; Theodore Dreiser, [Y.] Marksizm in teorye un praktik (Marxism in theory and practice) (Warsaw, 1931), 58 pp.; Dreiser, [Y.] Di froy in hayntikn rusland (Women in contemporary Russia) (Warsaw, 1931), 73 pp.; and Dr. Iwan Bloch, [Y.] Dos geshlekht-lebn fun undzer tsayt (Sex life in our time) (Warsaw, 1936); among others.  His subsequent career remains unknown.

Source: Lerer yizker-bukh (Teachers’ memory book) (New York, 1954).