BERISH VAYNSHTEYN (WEINSTEIN)

BERISH VAYNSHTEYN (WEINSTEIN) (March 18, 1907-September 27, 1967)

            He was born in Reyshe (Rzeszów), Galicia.  A poet, he came from a Hassidic family.  He studied in religious primary school and during WWI in a German public school in Reichenberg [now, Liberec, Czech Republic].  In 1923 he moved to the United States.  He studied at the New York Jewish teachers’ seminary and took evening courses in English.  He debuted in print with a poem in Tsuzamen (Together) in New York (1927).  He placed work in: Globus (Globe) in Warsaw; Tsukunft (Future), Yoysef Opatoshu and H. Leivick’s Zamlbikher (Anthologies), Tog (Day), Morgn-zhurnal (Morning journal), Svive (Environs), and Idisher kemfer (Jewish fighter), among others—in New York; and Goldene keyt (Golden chain) in Tel Aviv.  He was co-editor of the anthology Hemshekh (Continuation) in New York, and he published nine issues of the collections Opkleyb (Selection) (1950-1959).  He won awards in the name of M. L. Halpern (1949), Lanya Bimko (1956), and Tsvi Kesl (1966).  His books include: Brukhvarg (Shards), poems (New York, 1936), 95 pp.; Reyshe, poeme (Rzeszów, a poem) (New York: Ignatov Fund, 1947), 315 pp. (Hebrew translation, 1950/1951); Lider un poemes (Poetry) (New York, 1949), 225 pp.; Amerike, poeme (America, a poem) (New York: TSIKO, 1955), 215 pp.; In dovid hameylekhs giter, poeme (In King David’s domain, a poem) (Tel Aviv: Perets Publ., 1960), 225 pp.; Basherte lider (Predestined poetry) (New York: TSIKO, 1965), 328 pp.; Homeryade, poeme / Homeryada, poema (Homeriade, a poem), bilingual edition with Hebrew translation by Naftali Ginaton (Tel Aviv: Perets Publ., 1964), 93 pp.; Malkes balade / Habalada shel Malka (Malke’s ballad), bilingual edition with Hebrew translation by Haïm Robinzon (Tel Aviv: Hamenorah, 1968), 75 pp.  He died in New York.

Sources: A Tabatshnik, in Goldene keyt (Tel Aviv) 22 (1955); Y. Botoshanski, in Ilustrirte literarishe bleter (Buenos Aires) (April 1955); A. Mukdoni, in Keneder odler (Montreal) (May 18, 1956); Shloyme Bikl, in Tog-morgn zhurnal (New York) (June 24, 1956); A. Leyeles, in Tog-morgn zhurnal (March 1, 1958); Avrom Shulman, in Forverts (New York) (January 1, 1961); Sh. D. Zinger, in Unzer veg (New York) (January-February 1961); Y. Emyot, in Fraye arbeter shtime (New York) (February 1, 1961); E. Oyerbakh, in Tog-morgn zhurnal (February 10, 1961); Y. Okrutni, in Idishe tsaytung (Buenos Aires) (May 28, 1965); M. Dluzhnovski, in Keneder odler (November 7, 1965); Y. Yanasovitsh, in Di prese (Buenos Aires) (November 20, 1965); Y. Kharif, in Di prese (September 14, 1966); Y. Ts. Shargel, in Yisroel shtime (Tel Aviv) (Nisan 30 [= April 20], 1966); Berish vaynshteyn yoyvl-bukh (Berish Vaynshteyn jubilee volume) (Tel Aviv, 1967), 283 pp.; M Gros-Tsimerman, in Svive (New York) (Tevet [December-January] 1966-1967); Yankev Glatshteyn, Af greyte temes (On set themes) (Tel Aviv, 1967), pp. 123-27; Zinger, in Tsukunft (New York) (October 1967); B. Frenkel, in Unzer shtime (Paris) (October 7, 1967); Dov Sadan, Avne miftan (Threshold of stones) (Tel Aviv: Peretz Publ., 1970), vol. 2, pp. 156-66; Y. Yanasovitsh, Penemer un nemen (Faces and names), vol. 1 (Buenos Aires, 1971), pp. 99-104.

Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), cols. 240-41.