YOYSEF GAR (October 4, 1905-November 1, 1989)
He was born in Kovno,
Lithuania. He spent his childhood in
Kron (Kruonis), near Kovno. During WWI,
he moved with his parents to Minsk, Byelorussia, returning to Lithuania after
the war. He studied in an ORT (Association
for the Promotion of Skilled Trades) school in Kovno. In 1927 he graduated from the Jewish
teachers’ seminary in Kovno. He later
became a teacher in the Jewish public school in Utyan (Utena). Over the years 1933-1937, he studied history
and pedagogy in Kovno University. During
the years of the Holocaust, he was in the Kovno ghetto. In July 1944 on the route to Dachau, he ran
from the roadway and later survived until liberation. In 1945 he left Lithuania for Poland and from
there continued on to Germany. He spent
three years among the survivors in Landsberg and Munich. In November 1948 he made his way to the
United States. He worked as a teacher in
Jewish schools in New York and New Jersey.
Most recently he served as a contributor to the Holocaust project of
YIVO and Yad Vashem. In 1932 he debuted
in print with a story, “In kupe” (In a pile), in Folksblat (People’s
newspaper) in Kovno. He later wrote
treatises on books and essays concerning general Jewish issues. For a short period of time, he edited the
literary page of Folksblat. He
also published his works in Belgishe bleter (Belgian leaves), Brussels
(edited by B. Zilbershteyn). He served
on the editorial board of Landsberger lager-tsaytung (Landsberg camp
newspaper) (1945-1946), and he edited Hemshekh (Continuation) in
Munich. In 1948 he published articles in
Tog (Day), Forverts (Forward), Morgn-zhurnal (Morning
journal), and the anthology Lite (Lithuania) in New York; Idishe
tsaytung (Jewish newspaper) in
Buenos Aires; Yidishe shtime (Jewish voice) in Munich; and Akrikaner yidishe tsaytung (African Jewish newspaper) in
Johannesburg. Among his books: Umkum fun der yidisher kovne (The destruction of Jewish Kovno) (Munich,
1948), 424 pp.; In geloyf fun
khoreve heymen (In the rush of
destroyed homes) (New York, 1952), 135 pp.; Viderklangen, oytobyografishe
fartseykhenungen (Echoes, autobiographical jottings) (Tel Aviv: Peretz
Publ., 1961-1971), 2 vols.; Azoy is geshen in lite, 1940-1941 (That’s what
happened in Lithuania, 1940-1941) (Tel Aviv: Hamenorah, 1965), 157 pp.; a long
piece entitled “Baltishe lender” (Baltic countries) appeared in Algemeyne
entsiklopedye (General encyclopedia), “Yidn A” (New York, 1964). He was well-known for his work, “Bafrayte
yidn” (Liberated Jews), in Fun
noentn over (From the recent past)
3 (New York, 1957). He edited (with
Philip Friedman) Biblyografye fun yidishe bikher vegn khurbn un gvure
(Bibliography of Yiddish books on the catastrophe and heroism) (New York: Yad
Vashem and YIVO, 1962), xxxi, 330 pp. By
himself he edited Biblyografye fun artiklen vegn khurbn un gvure in yidisher
peryodike (Bibliography of articles on the catastrophe and heroism in
Yiddish periodicals) (New York: Yad Vashem and YIVO, 1966-1969), 2 vols. Among his pen names: Y. Gama, Y. Avi-geto,
and Observator.
Sources: V. Volf, in Kiem
(Paros) (November 1948); Dr. Y. Kisman, in Forverts (New York) (November
28, 1948); Dr. A. Mukdoni, in Morgn-zhurnal (New York) (January 23,
1949); Y. Varshavski, in Forverts (December 11, 1949; April 12, 1953); P.
Berman (Dr. Maks Vaynraykh), in Forverts (December 1, 1952); Yankev
Glatshteyn, in Idisher kemfer (New York) (December 5, 1952); Dr. Sh.
Bernshteyn, in Dos yidishe folk (New York) (January 1952); Y.
Leshtshinski, in Velt un folk (New York) (December 1952); Shmuel Niger,
in Tog-morgn-zhurnal (New York) (April 5, 1953).
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