ZELIG DORFMAN

ZELIG DORFMAN (April 12, 1905-1993)

            He was born in Zaromb (Zaręby Kościelne), Poland.  He studied in religious elementary school until age ten, later in the yeshiva of Ostrove (Ostrów).  In 1921 he emigrated to the United States.  In 1927 he began to publish poems in Gerekhtikeyt (Justice).  Together with Moyshe Shtarkman and Henekh Akerman, he edited the anthology Refleksn (Reflexes) (New York, April 1932), 16 pp.  In January 1940 he started bringing out a small, four-page journal, published in petit size, as designed by him.  He also published in: Tsuzamen (Together), Frayhayt (Freedom), Untervegs (Pathways), Havaner lebn (Havana life), Hamer (Hammer), Fraye arbeter shtime (Free voice of labor), Oyfkum (Arise), Zayn (To be), Tsukunft (Future), and Di feder (The pen), among others.  Among his books: Zing, zinger (Sing, singer) (New York, 1938), 106 pp.; Amol iz geven a meylekh (There once was a king) (New York, 1948), 94 pp.; Likht afn dorn (Light on the thorn) (New York, 1960), 76 pp.  He was one of the lyrical poets who sprung up in American Yiddish literature in the decade following WWI.  Especially innovative were his poems about the war and his mother.  His lyrical poems were the beginning of a biblical style.

Sources: Hemshekh-antologye (Hemshekh anthology) (New York, 1945), p. 314; Sh. Slutski, Avrom reyzen biblyografye (Avrom Reyzen’s bibliography) (New York, 1956), nos. 4969, 5342.

[Additional information from: Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), col. 190.]