DOVID DRUK (DAVID, DAWID DRUCK)

DOVID DRUK (DAVID, DAWID DRUCK) (1883-June 17, 1943)

            He was born in Kreizburg, Latvia.  He studied in religious elementary school and yeshivas, and later acquired a general education.  His first published literary work was a translation of Ludwig Kshivizky’s essay, “Di antsheyung fun ideyen” (The rise of ideas), which was published in Avrom Reyzen’s Dos yidishe vort (The Jewish word) in 1904.  In 1905 he moved to Warsaw.  When Tsvi Prilucki founded the first Yiddish daily newspaper in Poland, Der veg (The way), he became the first member of the editorial board.  In 1906 he published in N. Sokolov’s Der telegraf (The telegraph).  In 1907 he published in the first Yiddish newspaper in Latvia, Natsyonal tsaytung (National newspaper), in Riga.  In 1909 he returned to Warsaw and for a short time wrote for Spektor’s Unzer lebn (Our life).  Over the years 1910-1920, he served on the editorial board of Moment (Moment) in Warsaw.  In 1920 he emigrated to the United States.  He worked as the American correspondent for Moment.  From 1921 he was a regular contributor to Morgn zhurnal (Morning journal) and Amerikaner (American).  His longer articles published in Morgn-zhurnal which did not appear in book form would include his series of articles, “Di geshikhte fun mendl beylises lebn” (The istory of Mendel Beilis’s life), “Baron edmond rotshild in erets-yisroel” (Baron Edmond de Rothschild in Palestine), “Moyshe montefyore” (Moses Montefiore), “Iber amerike” (Across America), “Yidishe gelerte un visnshaftleyt in amerike” (Jewish scholars and scientists in America), and a string of others.  He edited: Shul un dertsiung (School and education), together with Dr. Sh. Vaynberg, in Warsaw (1915-1916).  Among his books: Tsu der geshikhte fun der prese (On the history of the press) (Warsaw, 1920), 147 pp.; Di meforshim fun der toyre (The commentators on the Torah), part 1 (Warsaw, 1936), 342 pp., part 2 (Warsaw, 1937), 252 pp., part 3 (New York, 1941), 234 pp.  He translated: Iber hundert yor arum (Over 100 years from now [original: Looking Backward, 2000-1887]), by Edward Bellamy (Warsaw, 1906), 207 pp.; Dos algemeyne val-rekht in mayrev-eyrope (The general election law in Western Europe) (Warsaw, 1905), 33 pp.  From the 1930s, he published articles in English-language Jewish journals in America.  His biography, Moyshe montefyore, zayn lebn un virken (Moses Montefiore, his life and impact) (New York, 1930) has been translated into English; his volume on Baron Edmond de Rothschild has been published in English and French.  Among his pseudonyms: Dizraeli and Marshal.  He died in New York.  “He was an erudite in the best and fullest sense of the word,” wrote A. Almi.  “He was also a gourmet when it came to the artist realm….  He lived quietly but deeply, and he died quietly.”

Sources: Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 1; A. Almi, Momentn fun a lebn (Moments from a life) (Buenos Aires, 1948), pp. 246-49; M. Gerts, 25 yor yidishe prese in letland (25 years of the Yiddish press in Latvia) (Riga, 1933); Y. Y. Vohl, in Tsukunft (New York) (January 1934); M. Ivensky, in Tsukunft (December 1928); Dr. Y, Mikloshanski, in Tsukunft (June 1943); Sh. Yudson, in Morgn-zhurnal (New York) (January 1930); Avrom Reyzen, Epizodn fun mayn lebn (Episodes from my life), part 3 (Vilna, 1935), p. 47; Y. Shekhtman, in Tog (New York) (January 1, 1932); obituary notice in Hadoar (New York) (June 25, 1943).