NISN GORDON

NISN GORDON (b. January 23, 1918)

            He was born in Krasnoluk, Minsk region, Byelorussia.  His father, R. Yokhanan, was known in Liubavitsher (Lubavitch) Hassidic circles in the United States as R. Yochanan Shai.  Until age eleven he studied in religious elementary school in Dokshits, Minsk region—later, in the Liubavitsher yeshiva “Tomchei Temimim” (supporters of the pure ones) in Vilna.  He emigrated to the United States in 1934.  He studied in the Yeshiva “Torah V’daat” in Brooklyn.  In 1937 he began writing correspondence pieces in Dos yudishe togblat (The Jewish daily newspaper), the organ of Agudat Yisrael, in Warsaw.  He published treatises on matters concerning religious Judaism and surveys of newly published religious texts for Tog-morgn-zhurnal (Daily morning journal) in New York, and in Dos yidishe vort (The Jewish word), the Agudat Yisrael monthly in America.  He was the author of Alt un nay in erets-yisroel, bilder un eyndrukn fun a rayze in heylign land (Old and new in the Land of Israel, images and impressions froma trip to the Holy Land) (New York, 1964), 159 pp.  He was living in Brooklyn and was active in Liubavitsher Hassidic circles.  From 1972 he worked as assistant editor of the weekly Algemeyner zhurnal (General magazine) in New York.

[Additional information from: Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), cols. 145-46.]