BINYUMIN VEND

BINYUMIN VEND (b. September 25, 1888)

            “Vend” was a shortened form of his family name, Vendrovski.  He was born in the town of Pyesk (Peski, Piaski), Grodno district, Russian Poland.  His father, Leyb-Ber, was the local rabbi and the author of such religious works as Pri ets hadar (Fruit of the majestic tree) and Kol arye (Voice of a lion).  Vend studied in religious primary school, in a number of yeshivas, and through self-study acquired secular knowledge.  He was ordained in the rabbinate in 1908.  That same year he left for the United States.  He worked as a Hebrew teacher for a long time, before becoming a dentist.  He was active in Jewish community life.  He was the author of Yisroels oytsres, gedanken, maynungen un der blik fun di alte idishe khakhomim oyf kimat alts vos dem modernem menshn interesirt tsu visn (Treasures of Israel, thoughts, opinions, and a glance at the ancient Jewish sages on virtually everything about which modern men are interested in knowing) (New York, 1926), 188 pp in Yiddish, 148 pp. in English.  This work contains extracts and sayings drawn from the Talmud, translated and explained in a pure literary Yiddish.  He died in New York.

Sources: Biblyografishe yorbikher fun yivo (Bibliographic yearbooks from YIVO) (Warsaw, 1928), p. 53.