ALIZA GRINBLAT (GREENBLATT)

ALIZA GRINBLAT (GREENBLATT) (September 8, 1888-September 21, 1975)

            Her maiden name was Aronson, born in Azarinets (Ozaryntsi), near Kamianets-Podilskyi, Ukraine.  She lost her father at age eight.  With her mother and stepfather, she emigrated to the United States in 1910.  She studied in Philadelphia and became a tailor.  She began writing in 1928.  She published a story in Amerikan (American) in New York and a poem in Di yidishe velt (The Jewish world) in Philadelphia.  She later published in: Idisher kemfer (Jewish fighter), Pyonern-froy (Pioneer women), Tog (Day), Forverts (Forward), Morgn-zhurnal (Morning journal), Fraye arbeter shtime (Free voice of labor), Nyu-yorker vokhnblat (New York weekly newspaper), and Di feder (The pen)—all in New York; Der shpigl (The mirror) in Buenos Aires; Kalifornyer yidishe shtime (Jewish voice of California), Dos vort (The word), Letste nayes (Latest news), and Davar (Word) in Tel Aviv, among others.  She also published children’s songs in: Kinder-zhurnal (Children’s magazine), Kinder-tsaytung (Children’s newspaper), Kinder-velt (Children’s world)—all in New York; Grininke beymelekh (Little green trees) in Buenos Aires; and Davar leyeladim (Word for children) in Tel Aviv.  Among her books: Lebn mayns (My life) (Philadelphia, 1935), 200 pp.; Zamlung fun 10 lider (Collection of ten songs), with notation (New York, 1940); Ikh zing (I sing), children’s songs with notation (New York, 1947), 80 pp.; Ikh un du (I and you), “songs of nostalgia” (New York, 1951), 32 pp.; In si-geyt baym yam (At Sea Gate by the ocean), songs (New York, 1957), 127 pp.; Baym fentster fun a lebn (At a window of a life) (New York, 1966), 163 pp.  She also produced records with six songs, sung by Diana Blumenfeld.  The music to her songs was written by the composers L. Leon, M. Gelbart, P. Yasinovski, Sh. Secunda, Khafets, and Bugatsh, among others.  She also wrote her own melodies for her songs.  She was living in Brooklyn, New York.

[N.B. She was, of course, the mother-in-law for a number of years of Woody Guthrie, with whom she had a productive musical relationship in the late 1940s—JAF.]

[Additional information from: Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), col. 178.]