YITSKHOK-LIPE BRIL (LIP)

YITSKHOK-LIPE BRIL (LIP) (August 22, 1874-March 2, 1936)

            He was the son of Yeḥiel Bril, born in Mainz, Germany.  At age ten he moved with his father to London.  He attended public school as well as Jews’ College.  He worked as a teacher.  At age twenty, he started to take up journalism.  He contributed to English-language serials.  In 1896 he was living in Berlin and contributing to German periodical publications.  That year he was invited by a Christian newspaper association to England to become the editor of Yidisher ekspres (Jewish express) and Yidisher rekorder (Jewish recorder), which they published, for political reasons, in Leeds.  Over the years 1899-1901, he published in London Pipikoks for entertainment and humor.  He also contributed to Jewish Chronicle and Jewish World.  He then moved to New York, where he served as a rabbi and Zionist leader.  He contributed to Di yidishe velt (The Jewish world).  From 1903 he was editor of its English section and later also editor of the English section of Yidishes tageblat (Jewish daily newspaper).  He translated into English Mendele Moykher-Sforim’s Di klyatshe (The nag) and other works of Yiddish literature.  He provided an essay concerning Yiddish drama for an English-language encyclopedia, published by The New York Journal.

Sources: Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 1; Z. Zilbertsvayg, Leksikon fun yidishn teater (Handbook of the Yiddish theater), vol. 1 (New York, 1931).