DORA TAYTLBOYM (TEITELBOIM)

DORE TAYTLBOYM (DORA TEITELBOIM) (December 14, 1914-1992)

            She was a poet, born in Brisk (Brest), Lithuania.  She came from a poor family.  In 1932 she emigrated to the United States.  She worked in a sweatshop and studied in evening courses.  She was a teacher in schools run by the International Labor Order.  In 1950 she moved to France and in 1972 to Israel.  From 1940 she published poetry in Morgn frayhayt (Morning freedom), Yidishe kultur (Jewish culture), and Nay lebn (New life) in New York; poetry, stories, and translations from French in Bay zikh (On one’s own), Yisroel shtime (Voice of Israel), Letste nayes (Latest news), and Fraye yisroel (Free Israel) in Tel Aviv.  Translations of her poetry were published in Hebrew, English, and French newspapers.  Among her books: In mitn velt (In the midst of the world), poems (New York: IKUF, 1944), 127 pp.; Himl un erd (Heaven and earth), poems (New York: Idishe dikhter-klub, 1947), 151 pp.; Mitn ponem tsum lebn, rayze-ayndrukn (Facing life, travel impressions) (Paris: Oyfsnay, 1952), 245 pp.; Mit oygn ofene (With ears open) (Buenos Aires: IKUF, 1955), 180 pp.; Di balade fun litl rak (The ballad of Little Rock) (Paris: Ofsnay, 1959), 67 pp., translations in Russian (Moscow, 1960), Hebrew (Tel Aviv, 1990), German (Berlin, 1961), and French (Lyon, 1959); Afn veg tsum mentsh (On the way to man) (Warsaw: Yidish bukh, 1965), 215 pp.; Gezang fun zinkzamd-dor (Song of the quicksand generation) (Tel Aviv: Yisroel bukh, 1973), 140 pp., French translation (Paris, 1975); Baym toyer fun mes-lesn, lider (By the gate of days, poetry) (Tel Aviv: Yisroel bukh, 1979), 91 pp.; Erev baginen (On the eve of dawn), poetry (Tel Aviv: Yisroel bukh, 1985), 112 pp.  In translations: Le Vent me parle Yiddish, poèmes (The wall speaks to me in Yiddish, poetry), trans. Charles Dobzynski (Paris, 1964), 119 pp.; Mikhmarot beterem shaḥar (Fishing nets before dawn), trans. Avraham Shlonsky (Tel Aviv, 1973), 145 pp.  “Dora Taytlboym poeticizes aloud,” wrote D. Sfard.  “And her poetry is not only visionary and fantastically hyperbolic as it is, but also from what it must, according to her sense of things, initially be.  The dialogue between the present and the past is dictated by an ethical imperative, and it is thus not simply description, but also warning and edification.”  “A wealth of colors and sounds,” noted B. Grin, “…high ideas, colorful images; an insight into the ancient, into the recent yesterdays, into the complex today, and into the bright tomorrow.”

Sources: B. Grin, in Fraye yisroel (Tel Aviv) (November 21, 1973); A. Yafe, in Al hamishmar (Tel Aviv) (January 11, 1974); Rivka Kahan, in Yediot aḥaronot (Tel Aviv) (May 26, 1974); A. Blat, in Maariv (Tel Aviv) (July 12, 1974); B. Grin, in Yisroel shtime (Tel Aviv) (March 5, 1980); Kh. Zeltser, in Letste nayes (Tel Aviv) (April 11, 1980); D. Sfard, in Yidishe kultur (New York) (January-February 1981; February 1982).

Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), cols. 281-82.