YEKHEZKEL BRONSHTEYN (EZEKIEL BROWNSTONE)

YEKHEZKEL BRONSHTEYN (EZEKIEL BROWNSTONE) (March 14, 1897-December 26, 1968)

He was born in Novoselytsia, Bessarabia.  In 1913 he emigrated with his parents to Canada.  He worked, while taking evening courses—he studied philosophy.  In 1918 he settled in Los Angeles.  His initial publication was a story placed in Kanader yid (Canadian Jew) in Winnipeg (1918).  Hi published stories, allegories, poetry, and dramatical poems in: Yidisher zhurnal (Jewish journal) and Der kamf (The struggle) in Toronto; Yidishe arbeter-velt (World of Jewish labor), Unzer veg (Our way), and Tsaytshrift (Periodical) in Chicago; Indzl (Island) in Bucharest; Di vokh (The week) in Brussels; Undzer fraynd (Our friend) and Di goldene keyt (The golden chain) in Tel Aviv; Naye yidishe tsaytung (New Jewish newspaper) in Munich; Loshn un lebn (Language and life) in London; Kiem (Survival) in Paris; Der shpigl (The mirror) in Buenos Aires; Dos yidishe vort (The Yiddish word) in Winnipeg; Yidishe shtime (Jewish voice) in Los Angeles; Der amerikaner (The American), Der hamer (The hammer), Signal (Signal), Morgn-frayhayt (Morning freedom), Proletarisher gedank (Proletarian idea), Yidisher kemfer (Jewish fighter), Tsukunft (Future), and Fraye arbeter shtime (Free voice of labor) in New York.  He edited: Los andzheleser yidisher byuletin (Los Angeles Jewish bulletin), Yidishe shtime (Jewish voice), Proletarisher gedank, Kalifornyer yidishe lebn (California Jewish life) quarterly, and Der bekher (The goblet), among others.  Among his books: Fun der fremd (From the outside), songs and poems (Los Angeles, 1929), 128 pp.; Vagabundyade (Vagabondage), poems and songs (Chicago, 1935), 130 pp.; Impresyes fun a leyener (Impressions of a reader) (Chicago, 1941), 158 pp.; Tsvishn tog un nakht, lider un poemes (Between day and night, songs and poems) (Los Angeles, 1950), 192 pp.; Dray froyen poetn fun modernem yapan (Three women poets from modern Japan), retranslated (Montreal, 1952), 48 pp.; Geheym-shtot fun avrom sutskever (Secret city of Abraham Sutskever), essay (Mexico City, 1952), 64 pp.; Yo un nisht neyn (Yes and not no), essays (Los Angeles, 1953), 54 pp.;  Under eyn dakh (Under one roof) (Los Angeles, 1956), 207 pp.; Ineynem un bazunder, eseyen (Altogether and separate, essays) (Tel Aviv: Peretz Publ., 1960), 276 pp.; Fun eygn hoyz (From our own house) (Tel Aviv: Hamenorah, 1963), 318 pp.; In pardes fun yidish (In the orchard of Yiddish) (Tel Aviv: Hamenorah, 1965), 257 pp.; Freyd fun yetsire (Joy of Creation) (Tel Aviv: Hamenorah, 1968), 266 pp.  Among his pen names: Yamb, Kohelet, Y. B., Shloyme Shokhets.  He was living in Los Angeles, California, until his death.

Sources: Y. Sigel, in Keneder odler (June 10 and 17, 1938); Dr. L. Zhitnitski, in Di prese (Buenos Aires) (December 1, 1934); Y. Berliner, in Der veg (Mexico) (December 5, 1951); Z. Vaynper, in Yidishe kultur (New York) (January 1953); Y. Yonasovitsh, in Arbeter-vort (Paris) (March 14, 1952).

[Additional information from: Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), col. 116.]